(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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William Jablonski, a regular busker on the Vegas strip, claims he has been harassed by officers who have repeatedly cited him for obstructing the pavement, disorderly conduct and being a public nuisance.


Mr Jablonski, who signs autographs, poses for tourists and once performed for a televised Elvis tribute at the MGM Grand, is taking police to court to prove that impersonating "The King" is a constitutional right.

The street performer claims that he has been wrongfully hounded by officers.

He stopped performing in public after he was cited for obstructing the pavement in 2007.

A year later, having donned his velvet suit again, he was confronted as he sang in front of the Paris Hotel & Casino by a Las Vegas police officer who told him not to have his picture taken with tourists or accept...

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(VANCOUVER) Once a bustling tourist mecca, Vancouver is rapidly gaining a reputation as the "No-Fun-Allowed" city.Granville Island has recently revamped their busking regulations with a dizzying array of almost impossible requirements.

Included is having to pass not one but two auditions by a non-qualified jury, a doubling of license fees, arbitrarily banning popular performers, and for good measure, an unbelievable 15 pages of rules.

And they're just getting warmed up. Forget fire and circle shows. Even with insurance, these are out. Want to change a line or joke? It's not allowed once the license agreement is signed. It's the most preposterous, cockeyed, idiotic conception Busker Central News has ever reported.

License fees were doubled because they "hadn't been raised in 5 years."...

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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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(LONDON) It seems there simply aren't enough buskers in London's tube these days to satisfy the growing masses.Also known as the underground subway, a clear and present message to the "powers that be" is rumbling around the tube. Buskers believe many more should be permitted to display their art form in the nation's capital.

As it turns out, you can now take a quick internet lesson on How to be a Tube Busker with a recent article at the Londonist.com.

There's only one thing standing in the way - "the system". Tube busking has now been legal for 10 years. The article goes into a step-by-step process that may, in the end, prove the licensing procedure to be entirely futile.

You will be judged by a 3-person jury that may or may not be qualified to determine what is art and what...

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