There is no aspect of music history more forgotten and uncelebrated than the art of busking. It's one of the oldest types of performance, from the moment a cave man first picked up a bone-flute there was probably a crowd around him throwing brightly coloured stones at his feet.
The sheer amount and quality of buskers in Liverpool at the moment is staggering, from the top of Bold Street to bottom of Lord Street - less than a mile there were about 10 of them.
A musical mile. 17th March 2012. Liverpool
It is claimed by the council that this is too many. There are plans afoot to start charging buskers for one of 25 slots in the city centre. Charges should be around £20 per anum. Is this needed regulation, or simply a cynical money spinner for the cash-strapped council?
My worry is that with only a limited number of pitches there will be very tight competition and newer artists may never get the permit to perform.
Some of the proposed busking spots? Are there enough?
They've always lived in a strange nether-world between professional and amateur, some buskers make a living through selling high-quality CDs from the pavement, others are barely able to hold a guitar. Buskers in all their varied mixes give a colour and depth to a street that would otherwise be missing. Let's hope this charging scheme doesn't affect it too much.
Thank god they're still here!
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