Buskers to ‘audition’ in order to get a licence
BUSKERS in Cardiff have to send “audition tapes” to the council before getting a licence under strict new rules.
Rules set to come into force from July 1 mean that buskers have to send a video clip of them performing to Cardiff council to be approved and apply for the licence each month.
The council said the changes come after a “significant number of complaints”.
One busker in the city was recently handed a letter while performing, informing him of the changes.
Luke Ashley has been a busker for around three years and is regularly seen in the centre of the city playing classics and his own songs.
Luke, 23, of Adamsdown, said: “I can understand why they are doing it in some ways, but for someone to be thought of as not good enough by the council through these audition tapes is a bit odd.
“And for someone who’s main source of income is busking it could be a problem. I work in two different bars, but other people may not have those other sources.”
Dozens of people took to social media once the new rules were announced, with one commenting “it’s not the X Factor, it’s busking”.
A letter seen by our website WalesOnline from the council states that from July 1 all buskers will need a licence. It adds that buskers will be asked to send a clip of their performance to “assess their suitability and standard”. The council would not provide further detail on how a busker’s suitability and standard would be judged.
Each licence, which is free of charge, will last one month which can be renewed “subject to agreement”. Noise levels by buskers have to be “reasonable” and if the council receive a complaint then they have a statutory duty to investigate it.
Luke said: “It’s almost like we’re a nusiance. For us to feel like that when we are supposed to be supported isn’t good.
“I think buskers provide an atmosphere It’s like an extra layer to the city. To hear the music echo through the streets is amazing, even before I was a busker I thought that.
“I think we bring a lot more too. We have got a good rapport with the people of the city.”
Cardiff council said they have looked to adopt similar rules in place in other UK cities, including London.
A Cardiff council spokesman said: “The council has successfully operated a code of conduct for buskers for more than a decade but following a significant number of complaints from city centre businesses and visitors the council has concluded that the code needs to be revised.”
They added: “The council will emphatically not be operating a heavy-handed approach to this issue and the objective is to improve the overall quality of the visitor experience.”