(from the You've got-to-be-kidding-me Department)
One of the themes of 2009 was that collection societies around the world went nuts trying to charge for anything they possibly could while also trying to increase the rates they could charge. Even banks went wild with their hidden charges.

Remember how one collection society wanted to charge a woman because she put on music in public for her horses? Or how about the woman who worked in a grocery store who was told to stop singing while stocking the shelves or the store would have to pay a performance fee? And, of course, we had ASCAP trying to claim that ringtones were public performances, and mobile operators needed to pay up -- beyond the license fee that was already paid on the recording.

SOCAN, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, has been no exception pushing for drastically increased rates...

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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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LONDON | A city in central England says two buskers who plagued a suburb by repeating the same two songs have been banned from performing for two years.The Birmingham City Council said the street performers angered residents with late-night and out-of-tune renditions of “Wonderwall” by Oasis and “Faith” by George Michael.

Acoustic guitar player James Ryan, 40, and Andrew Cave, 39, who used garbage can lids to accompany Ryan, were banned from busking by a judge at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.

(KEY WEST) It's been brewing since last year when regulations for street-performing were brought up in City Hall. Now, a tourist was recently bitten on the face by a performer's lemur which has triggered a new law requiring entertainers to have a minimum of $300,000 of liability insurance.

The law was designed to bring street entertainers in line with other groups, such as taxis, pedicabs and street food vendors, all of whom are required to have similar liability policies.

Restrictions where you can perform were placed on Duval Street but not past Petronia. The first two blocks of Whitehead and other "pitch" restrictions also go into effect. The yearly permit was raised from $100 to $150 and if there's is a festival going on, no performing is allowed. Performer's insurance is available on the...

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(CAMDEN TOWN) Holy guacamole! Camden has banned amplified street music and now requires unplugged performers to buy licenses.With the help of the Great Golden Kazoo in the sky, buskers have formed a church to sidestep the new busking laws. The Church of the Holy Kazoo has just been formed in the nick of time by buskers exercising the human right to "preach" in public.

It all started when Buskers staged a "street jam" in the heart of Camden to protest against the controversial new rules to license busking in the borough. Street performer Jonny Walker came up with the idea after Camden council's new laws required buskers to pay for licenses. He realized that street preaching is protected under freedom of expression laws so he set up the Church of the Holy Kazoo. It means Jonny...

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