Transnational franchises make the world’s city centres look almost identical. Eye-catching ads dominate the visual space, while neon logos compete with the sun to light the gaps between skyscrapers. In general, people travel through, instead of to public places.
Good street art transforms public places into social spaces, where the usual boundaries between strangers are broken down. All over the world we witnessed people cheering, clapping and laughing as one, making eye contact, holding conversations, and even dancing with people they’ve never met before.
And yet in most of the world’s major cities, the art of busking is either illegal or subject to arbitrary laws and control. The human rights charters of almost all countries question the legitimacy of such restrictions, and yet they still go ahead. And there is strong evidence that street performance is good for tourism, good for business, and good for morale. So why is busking so regulated by councils?
Thankfully, buskers have been social networking since the Middle Ages, and are very good at it. Both online and on the streets, they know how to start, run and cultivate campaigns. And often they are very effective.
Five Recent Examples
• Montreal
“Robert Archambault is helping our cause, several buskers are fighting and refusing their signatures. I have signed and will be reporting from the inside. We need support for legal fees”
These are the words of Richard Erno, a career busker in Montreal. On July 4th, 2012, one of his peers was asked to stop performing because he hadn’t signed the new contract with local authorities. He refused to stop his show, and eventually was wrestled to the ground and arrested.
A majority of the buskers in Montreal haven’t signed the contract, mainly because it requires them to book their performances ahead of time. This is a misuse of municipal control over an artform that derives its power from its spontaneity. So, they’re taking legal action against the city. Follow their Facebook group for news.
• Liverpool
Liverpool authorities have gone one step further. Not only have they decided that performances must be scheduled, but their new set of arbitrary regulations limits the amount of space a performer can take up (1.5 metres), requires them to have liability insurance, and gives local police the authority to ban any busker they don’t like.
Local busker Jonny Walker has started up a website and online petition to get the council to rethink their decision. They’re already getting press — here, here, here, here, video — and the petition is up to 2,500 votes.
Thanks to the sense of solidarity between the performers, the new legislation, which came into effect on July 9th, 2012, has been largely ignored. You can follow all the action at Jonny’s twitter account (@JonnyWmusic), or visit www.keepstreetslive.com.
• London
London is Europe’s biggest city, and this year’s host for the Olympic Games. Considering London’s eminent busking history (Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Simon and Garfunkel and Lennon’s and McCartney’s early band The Quarry Men, to name a few), you might think it a good place to busk. But there are only two licensed pitches in London (Covent Garden and the South Bank), and both are oversubscribed. Try to busk anywhere else, and you risk fines and arrest.
Recently a young hula hooper was given a “warning” for making too much noise in Trafalgar Square. As background noise in the square is in the region of 80 decibels, her amp could only reach 85 decibels, and it was 25 meters away from the nearest building, pointing in the other direction. When she came to court with the support of Eddie Izzard and the Covent Garden Street Performers Association, Westminster City Council revoked the warning.
• Rome
In May, 2012, Roman councillors were considering legislation that would ban most types of street performance. Buskers got together, made some noise (see the great video here), and got a much fairer (but not quite fair) deal. (article, photos)
• Columbia (South Carolina)
On April 10th, 2012, new legislation that would only allow “buskers” who were “hired” by the local Business Improvement District to perform, received preliminary approval. These buskers would also not be allowed to take tips. In other words, busking would be banned.
Thanks to the efforts of local performers, the initial legislation was seriously revised to allow spontaneous performances, but still banning anything that might pose a “danger” (knives, fire clubs and so on).
We filmed in Columbia in 2011. We feel like in some small way we played a part in helping both the busking community and the local press be more active on this issue. In any case, it’s a good result for all of us.
Where TBP fits in
In all of the above cases, buskers have gotten together to fight for their rights. That’s what TBP is about. Buskers already have many of the attributes needed for a successful grassroots movement — they’re highly networked amongst themselves, can entertain an audience, know how to control crowds, are digitally proficient, have a social mission and have a huge audience.
Our intent is simply to create a framework through which buskers all over the world can access and download tools that will help them protect their rights while giving better performances. We also want to remove the social stigmas that surround busking (the prevalent idea that they are either failed artists or crack addicts), encouraging more young, talented performers to share their work with us.
We aim to:
- compile the academic and legal resources buskers need to properly educate themselves and their local councils
- show the world the breadth and diversity of the medium, and how it affects all of us
- give street artists emotional, financial and logistical support
- get the message out to the widest audience possible.
We’ve already started. Over a hundred performers (and counting). Dozens of inspiring testimonials. Partnerships with busker-related organisations. 1,800 “fans” online. And although it’s in its infancy (this all is!), we’re just beginning to gather all the other resources we need to complete our mission…
Add Your Voice
This website won’t achieve half of what it aims to without your support. If you can’t afford to donate (proceeds go towards site development and maintenance), you can still write a testimonial (or get a friendly lawyer/mayor to), like us on Facebook, email us with information, add a performer, join our monthly newsletter, and spread the word!
Busking invented crowdfunding, and it’s the epitome of grassroots. As advocates for this ethos we can’t get corporate sponsorship or display ads. The result is that The Busking Project is run on a shoestring, under-staffed and absolutely in need of YOUR voice. Anything you can add to the discussion is not just appreciated, but vital to our continuing success.
This should be a website generated by buskers, not by the few of us who currently contribute.
Who are we?
The Busking Project is a complex plan to take over the world. It has already started, with you and the hundreds of buskers we’ve filmed over the last few years. By building a presence on street corners in every major city, we’re spreading the same message everywhere: go outside, meet your neighbours, have fun, enjoy the show.
The next step is obvious. We’ll use our upcoming documentary to inspire people to action, and our website to coordinate the largest velvet revolution the world has ever seen, utilising the irresistible power of street performers to inspire a radical shift in political and economic thinking, bringing in a glorious meritocracy where politicians and CEOs are tipped instead of bought.
Sound good to you, too?
