(YORK) City Halls often see busking as a potential problem to be managed and restricted. The victory with the York City Council resulted in a document designed to encourage and welcome buskers from all over the world.An online petition was started by the Keep Streets Live Campaign. It was signed by over 4000 people and called on York to scrap their restrictive policy and work with the busking community to produce new guidance. It seems while one town is outlawing busking and street performing, another is begging for buskers to revitalize their historic and shopping districts.

The York document may influence London's policy that criminalizes street musicians. A campaign has been set up to challenge it and protect Britain's public spaces. The Camden dispute has organized buskers consulting in the House of Lords, taking the...

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The Galway, Ireland busking community has published their own code of conduct ahead of the implementation of city council bylaws to regulate the activity. The code is being launched as part of the ‘We Support Friendly Busking’ campaign.Galway Buskers Community argues there is no need for busking bylaws, stating its new document promotes positive and responsible practices among street performers.

The group is also promoting a new slogan ‘Our Art, Our Streets, Our Responsibility’.

The initiative aims to improve the relationship between buskers and the business community with focus areas including noise levels, duration of performances and crowd obstruction.

The group says any move to rollout bylaws or permits would seriously impact Galway’s reputation as a major arts and culture hub. New bylaws to...

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(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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Ocean City, Maryland city council passed a resolution limiting it's boardwalk buskers and street performers to two pitches "so everybody can co-exist a little bit better", said Mayor Rick Meehan. The performers lobbied against the the ordinance which would keep them away from store-fronts and benches.

In a written statement that was evidently read to the council, "If it is the intention of the council to eliminate street performing, then I urge them to pass this new ordinance", said busker Alexander Osborn whose reverse-psychology probably didn't help.

The law was passed unanimously by council members. The boardwalk is a well-known beach hangout and visited by over 2.4 million tourists a year. The performers were successful in making one change, however. They can...

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(CLEVELAND) Maurice Reedus, Jr. is one happy man since Cleveland has opened it's streets to buskers and street-performers.Thanks to the "Sax Man" legislation, he can now blow his horn legally on the streets of Cleveland after twice being arrested this year.

"Let Freedom ring!" declared Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman once the legislation was passed. "All of the major cities have lots of street performers. This is the home of the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame. This should be a musical town."

Officially, the Street-Performer's Ordinance covers, but is not limited to, "acting, singing, playing musical instruments, pantomime, juggling, magic, dancing, reciting and clowning."

Reedus is also the subject of a new movie. While everyone knows of the iconic Sax Man, few know his truly...

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