“In some ways it had become an easy way to make money. You go up there in the middle of August with a tin whistle and whether you can play or not, probably some people will throw you some money in the hope you might go away and stop playing.” — Gerard Dollard, Clare County Council…

In 2023, Westminster City Council in London passed one of the most insane busking licenses I’ve ever seen, made even more nuts because the enforcement area included Covent Garden, perhaps the world’s most famous and popular busking pitch, and jewel of Westminster’s public entertainment. I did a two month investigation into their proposed busking policy,…

If you apply for grant funding, you usually have to choose who the beneficiaries are of your activities. The Busking Project CIC tend to pick ‘artists’ in our grant applications. We also say we work in the world of ‘arts and entertainment’. And, of course, we apply exclusively for ‘arts grants’. But, that’s a woeful…

Covid has obviously accelerated cashless payments. But it has also created a surge in initiatives transforming city centres, either through legislation, pop-up markets, outdoor seating and other endeavours trying to bring people back to town. Add inflation and the cost of living crisis—both of which are eating away at the value of a $1 tip—and…

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (acronyms: EDI or DEI) is a good idea in theory. ‘Equity’ stands for treating everyone fairly. ‘Diversity’ refers to classifications such as age, race and gender. And ‘Inclusion’ refers to how welcome everyone feels (slightly different to diversity, which focuses more on numbers). Taken together, these represent ‘values’ that organisations try to…

Content warning: there’s a graphic description of violence, torture and murder in the grey box below. You can skip it, if that’s not something you feel like reading today. Josh White’s story arch, as detailed in Elijah Wald’s biography, Josh White: Society Blues, is proof that busking’s proximity to deprivation and adversity is one of the art form’s biggest strengths.…

With images selected from over 45,000 photos taken from a round-the-world trip interviewing street performers, this book gives a unique, beautiful look at the world of busking, split into four main sections: Part 1: Malls Without Walls, exploring the impact of changing cities on the art of street performance, including the rise of pseudo-public spaces…