(LONDON) A lot of cities have their individual busking requirements to satisfy city hall. However, it seems London's busking code is more complete than others and could be used as a benchmark for general busking.City Hall said the rules, which cover where to busk, avoids complaints, money collection, and resolving problems. It's aim is to make busking and street performance easier for everyone.

"Busking adds to the capital’s joie de vivre but in spite of its popularity buskers have sometimes encountered problems when plying their trade. Some have even been put off.

Working with our partners, we are putting a scythe through the acres of unnecessary bureaucracy to make it easier to entertain on our city’s streets.

We want to make London the busking capital of the world.”

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(AUSTRALIA) The Coffs Harbour City Council's busking policy continues to rage by charging buskers $12 per day to perform.

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Street entertainers are to be allowed to perform on a privately-owned stretch of London Docklands for the first time, after its owners announced plans to award busking permits in a bid to revitalise the area.

St Katharine Docks in Wapping - next to the Tower of London and owned by property company F&C Reit - is now looking for performers such as magicians, jugglers and musicians to entertain in one of four designated zones within the site.

One of the proposed busking areas sits on the riverfront next to Tower Bridge, while another would see performers make use of a courtyard space known as Centre Basin.

The street performers idea is part of a wider initiative aimed at raising awareness of St Katharine Docks and increasing visitors to it, which is being overseen by Gossip Consultancy on behalf of F&C Reit. It is hoped that the initiative will help enliven the area, in much...

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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

(KEY WEST) Just when you think they've figured it all out, Key West's city hall has created still more controversy in their busking laws. Being in the news over the past several years, it may be a matter of the successful Mallory Square Sunset Celebration turf just not being big enough for the city's satisfaction.
The city along with the Cultural Preservation Society(?) now wants to charge individual buskers $20 a night for accepting tips. Federal courts repeatedly rule that permit fees for First Amendment activity are unconstitutional. Yet we see constant challenges to the right of free speech. City halls do not seem to understand that busking and street performing are immune to their taxing. Confusion appears to come when the performer is observed accepting tips. It seems any exchange of money gets some excited...

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