(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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(HASTINGS) A busker, Dean Langley, set up shop outside the Anchor pub in Hastings and started to play “Wonderwall” by Oasis. He then played “American Pie” by Don Maclean. Then he played Wonderwall again. Then American Pie, then Wonderwall. After two hours, the landlord of the pub approached Mr Langley and pleaded with him either to stop playing or to learn a third song. Mr Langley then became abusive and was arrested.

Is there anyone who can read this without feeling passionate sympathy with the pub landlord? When General Noriega took refuge in the Holy See’s embassy in Panama in 1989, the American army bombarded him with non-stop repetition of terrible old rock records. It has been reported that a torture technique in Guantanamo Bay involved playing Barney the purple dinosaur’...

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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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(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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(NEW YORK) Are these crazy people out to get your money or are these legitimate artists doing their thing? A local New York poll wants to know more about buskers and street performers. What about those cartoon characters? Just who are they? Should there be more restrictions? Less restrictions? Any restrictions?We've all seen the guy holding the a sign with his dog by his side. Is he performing or looking to feed his dog? Are there laws to prevent him from bothering tourists? Should there be? The dog certainly isn't harassing anyone.

What about the Naked Cowboy? What exactly does he do? Is he breaking laws as he reveals more than just his guitar? Does he even play guitar? It's no wonder NYC...

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