(KEY WEST) It may be lights out for buskers and street performers on Florida's popular and most southern island. Key West city commissioners on Tuesday approved the first reading of an ordinance that would put stricter controls on where some 220 license-holding street performers set up their act or wares on Duval Street.

Performers also would not be allowed at Mallory Square. Other restricted areas: Wall Street; in front federal, state or local government buildings; in front of churches and theaters; the Key West Bight harbor walk; the Truman Waterfront; and the Southernmost Point.

(COSTA RICA) San Jose has buskers singing the blues. Avenida Blues, a traditional blues band in Costa Rica, is finding national resistance to their style of music and performing. The buskers have been working for the past months filming their performances on the streets, issues with police, and concerts at large national festivals in the country.Due to severe lack of interest of the blues in Costa Rica, they are trying to get exposure with the international blues community. With different administration changes, the police have taken down several artists, jailed some others, and have confiscated equipment. A strike in January resulted in a movement called "Nuestra Calle" when there was the reported abuse of power by local authorities in the arrest of a sax player.

The Avendia blues band has been working hard...

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(BOULDER) A popular Pearl Street Mall busker is fighting deportation. Contortionist Ibashi-i Brown will meet with INS officials to learn his fate.

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(THE NETHERLANDS) An article at TheCityAtEyeLevel.com in the Netherlands has published an article portraying busking as a viable means of rejuvenating city streets. Some city's methodology include Glasgow, Melbourne, and Singapore."Busking is at risk of being licensed out of existence, with permit systems, auditions, fees, written application processes, equipment bans, scheduling and branding making the spontaneous, surprising art in public spaces a thing of the past."

The article goes on to discuss street performing policy, proposed permit systems, and a starters guide to encouraging busking in your city.

Many buskers prefer to be self-regulated but there are always a few who abuse this type of system. This can lead to public disputes where there is strong disagreement.

For more info,...

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(LONDON) A frustrated busker dressed as the Queen headbutted a plain-clothed policeman once told he wasn't to busk at Trafalgar Square. The "Queen" then hit him over the head with a royal scepter made of plastic. Thirty-one year old Romanian-born Marian Gogu, who lives in Soho, admitted assaulting PC Peter Barnett with a headbutt.

It wasn't that long ago that another street-performer dressed as Chewbacca was handcuffed and arrested in Hollywood, California when he headbutted a tour-guide. Frederick Evan Young was the Star Wars street performer in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. He knocked heads with the tour guide who complained about how "Chewie" was treating two tourists.

"It was quite a surprise. What they don't realize is that headbutts hurt yourself as much as the other guy,"...

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