Briefly put, the Naked Cowboy and candy giant Mars reached a down-to-earth settlement in Federal Court Friday over a Times Square billboard.

No one's talking, least of all the normally voluble Robert Burck, who parades around the Crossroads of the World in his skivvies, strumming a guitar and urging passersby to think of him as God.

Burck sued Mars for millions last winter, alleging two Times Square billboards and a mural that depicted a guitar-wielding M&M candy in tight white shorts gave the impression that he's endorsing their product.

Last June, Federal Judge Denny Chin ruled the Cowboy's suit accusing Mars of "false endorsement" could continue.

The suit was resolved Friday with a closed-door settlement.

By Owen Moritz
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Cooper/AP

(CAMBRIDGE) - He's Brother Blue - the street performer who hoped to change the world one story at a time.But his wife of 60 years still recalls their first encounter, long before Hugh Morgan Hill became known as the father of modern storytelling.

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It's survival of the fittest as some resort to dirty tactics in face of stiffer competition.

Outwit, outplay, outlast.
That motto from TV reality series Survivor also holds true for the buskers in Orchard Road.

The current economic downturn is certainly not music to their ears as they have seen takings drop in recent months.

If that's not enough of a worry, they also have to fend off competition from both legitimate and illegal buskers.

But more of that later. For now, the downturn is a more worrisome test of survivor skills.

Take the case of Mr Donald Wee, 51, who strums the guitar near Shaw House.

'More people are donating coins instead of $5 or $10 notes,' he lamented.

He used to earn about $100 in two hours but can net only $40 now. The former security guard went into busking four years ago when he could not find another job after he was arrested for fighting....

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There used to be a time when no self-respecting musician would ever bow to corporate pressure and allow their songs to be used to advertise products.

Those days are definitely over, and never more so with the news that Coca-Cola is looking at "incentivising" buskers on the London Underground to include its Holidays Are Coming jingle in their repertoire over the festive period.

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"Really badly talented" buskers face being banned from the CBD as part of a bid by Melbourne's new lord mayor to clean up the city streets.

Hours after his election win, Robert Doyle said tougher rules and regulations were needed to keep the streets free of bad performers.

"I am a bit sick of really badly talented buskers, let me tell you," he told Radio 3AW.

"They actually do need to be properly licensed and regulated so that we are not just assaulted by a whole lot of different sounds every 10 metres along the footpath."

Mr Doyle also touted a Bourke Street police station and a theme park to attract more families to the CBD at night.

"I don't want the city to be a bogan magnet," he said.

"People are sick of someone warbling out of...

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