Some find them irritating; others are soothed by them on their rush hour commute. Whatever your opinion, buskers are an integral part of the London Underground experience. A new scheme aims to license the guerrilla musicians in a move to regulate the music.
Until recently, buskers hopped from station to station, and played for the crowds until they were moved on. Now London Underground has been working on a scheme to license busking and will be holding auditions for a place in one of 11 allotted stations: Bank, Canary Wharf, Chancery Lane, Charing Cross, Green Park, Leicester Square, London Bridge, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, South Kensington, and Westminster.
If the scheme is successful, “moves will be made to license pitches at other stations across the network, building on the lesson learned from the trial,” according to London Underground officials. Feedback will be gathered from buskers and passengers with the transport authority having the final say whether to give the scheme the go-ahead.
Those who do not find themselves jumping with delight at the thought of more buskers filling the stations can find some comfort in the fact that “musicians will be chosen based on musical competence and good character,” according to the man behind the plan, Martin Penney, customer programme implementation manager at London Underground.
The auditions, dubbed as ‘Tube Idols’ by many, are expected to attract hundreds of people performing all kinds of music. A team of judges from the music industry who will be in charge of the auditions, have yet to be chosen. The panel could include representatives from London Underground and passengers.
“[The] majority of the buskers are excited about the scheme,” Penney said. “They will have to sign the terms and conditions but will not have to pay for their license.” Once chosen, buskers will have to adhere to a schedule, which will be drawn up a week in advance.
Another piece of good news for the sceptics is that actively soliciting money can lead to licences being revoked, allowing for only passive collections where performers do not actively solicit. Busking on trains will be prohibited.
Impact tests currently taking place check the effects performances have on customers, whether performers drown out the PA system and ensure that sites, known as pitches, are safe.
Joe Evans has been a busker for 10 years and is taking part in the impact tests. “I had reservations to begin with, but then the people organising it have included us in the negotiations, and when the licenses are issued they are going to give those of us who have been busking for a while the first choice in which pitches we want,” he said.
The 16-week trial was expected to start at some point during the first half of 2002 but has been delayed by concerns of crowd control and the closure of the Central Line. “There should be a big press announcement by the end of April to get the scheme going,” said Penney.
London could soon join Paris as one of the European cities known for a thriving busking scene. So unless further delays occur, watch out for buskers appearing at a station near you soon. Pay attention because you may be listening to the next Bob Dylan.
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