(WWW) We may as well face it. Busking is not a bed of roses. There are bound to be instances where things go wrong. Sammy Showtime has put together his pet peeves when it comes to his caveats of busking.Some of the most annoying things about being a busker are events you encounter when attempting the sport of performing. One that resonates with many is when other buskers arrive, set up on you, then explain that "This is our pitch. We're homies and never travel. We come her every Friday."

Similarly, there's the "This is the only place we can perform!" excuse that doesn't really sit well with buskers...especially in the middle of a show. Rest assured, the intruders will get their due they so richly deserve.

Read Sammy's other annoying busker behavior at the link below and catch him...

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(MASSACHUSETTS) Beginning today, the fair city of Cambridge is making it easier for performing artists to express themselves. The city wants more buskers so it's eliminating permit fees. The Cambridge Arts Council announcement is meant to offer more opportunities for artists to showcase their talents without having to pay a fee.Believe it or not, one doesn't even have to be a resident. It's open to all. The only slight catch is they want to see your act first before they waive the $40 fee. The performers must stick to the city’s street busker ordinance which sets parameters on performance times, locations, and noise.

The process just highlights the differing states of confusion when it comes to busking and street performing. While one city is busy regulating and restricting - even outlawing busking, t...

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(PRAGUE) The city of Prague is wondering why there aren't more buskers and street performers around their fair city. After all, they've overcome 40 years of Communism crushing their culture. Hence, the city has embarked on a campaign to bring in many more of the performing artists.And even taking into consideration of the famous Charles bridge, Prague has much less buskers and street performers when compared to Berlin, Dublin, or Paris.

The project is currently crowdfunded which will determine how the campaign will go forward. Organizers have produced a video as well as an audio mp3 that showcases the effort. There will also be an app for tablets and cell phones to promote the project.

Regulations implemented 3 years ago have somewhat restricted street musicians and will be changed. “Musicians c...

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A new article at the Evening Times lists the "top ten" buskers who became celebrities. Blues great BB King went town to town in Mississippi playing his guitar for loose change. The stand-up comic Eddie Izzard first took his talents to the streets of Sheffield then on to fame in Europe.Can you guess which future star was kicked out of Spain for vagrancy? How about guessing which star performed fire tricks on the streets of London? Of course, we can't forget the star who performed a mime act on the streets of New York while an acting student.

The top ten is quite entertaining and revealing while the "X" list (ex-busker) contains an incredible list of lists featuring all buskers who became *Stars*. There is a new master compilation currently being built that is due out sometime next year.

Read about...

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(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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