Evolution of Busking
DEFINITION
DEFINITION
LAWS
“Busking” evolved from the Spanish root word buscar, which means "to seek" and was found in the English language around mid-1860s. It is now widely known as public performances carried out to obtain gratuities. Historically, busking have appeared all over the world and involves any form of entertainment such as singing, dancing, acrobatics and more.
One of the first laws imposed on buskers came during the 18th century due to changes in attitudes towards “acceptable behavior in public”. Elite members of society disapproved of busking, seeing it as an antithesis of “high culture” performances of the time, even though street venues served as a common place for everyone to listen to music and observe performances.
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These days, government bodies impose specific conditions for buskers, including mandatory permits, location, volume and duration limits to manage the community. Many view these laws as a “risk of perpetuating the marginal and vulnerable position which buskers have traditionally occupied”.
Initial laws such as the Metropolitan Police Act 1839 took to criminalizing busking activities by making it an offense to “sing any profane, indecent, or obscene Song or Ballad’‘ or “blow any Horn or use any other noisy Instrument, for the Purpose … of obtaining Money or Alms".
However, these laws were enforced based on the discretion of police who preferred to deliberately approach them slowly or react only to public complaints.
Scholars describe these as transitions from prohibition to regulation, where the government works to manage buskers in public spaces and reduce overall negative effects. One of our interviewees echoed the same view: “It’s NAC members who carry out inspections of license, not the police”.public
PROHIBITION TO REGULATION
WHY?
For many governments, busking holds a certain cultural value that cannot be ignored. Its’ presence represents specific groups in society and is often described as “adding colors to the city”, as seen in the purpose for Busking Policies.
In Australia, the Interim Busking Policy (Sydney Policy):
“To encourage activities that contribute to the colour and life of the city and provide opportunities for alternative voices to be heard through public performance."
In Singapore, the National Arts Council’s Busking Scheme states its purpose as:
“Besides adding color to our city life, it provides opportunities for individuals and groups to exhibit their artistic talents and express their creativity to a public audience”
BUSKERS' VIEWS
While a small number of them oppose any form of restrictions, many buskers have embraced laws as a necessary part of their craft.
In fact, some of them welcome laws and see it as a helpful “unspoken etiquette” between street performers.
SIGNIFICANCE
Public performance offers a disruptive intervention in the current climate of social norms, while scholars view busking as a “necessary delinquency” which can resist marginalization to carve a specific space while challenging social and legal conditions through the simple act of performing.
CHALLENGES
Busking receives little attention due to their criminalized status and association with beggars. Musicians are also forced to balance between their own musical identities and the social demands of popular music to capture attention.
To this end, the community and the challenges they face remain largely undocumented despite having a long history in global society.
RESOURCES
Hanáková, M. (2015). Do I adapt?: Busker’s choice of the repertoire in the Czech area. Potential disconnection between mass demand and own identity. Retrieved from: http://www.muni.cz/research/publications/1299428
Kane, N. R. (2014). Loitering/Busking Bodies/Subversive Singing: Why Street-Theatre is Essential to Our Cities. Retrieved from: http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/20203/
National Arts Council (2016). Busking Scheme. Retrieved from: https://www.nac.gov.sg/whatwedo/engagement/artsforall/busking.html
Smith, M. (1996). Traditions, Stereotypes, and Tactics: A History of Musical Buskers in Toronto. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/openview/f5e2f00c597c552f8ed9cb79dc4e5bf8/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1819034
Quilter, J., & McNamara, L. (2015). Long May the Buskers Carry on Busking: Street Music and the Law in Melbourne and Sydney. Retrieved from: http://busk.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/05-Quilter-and-McNamara.pdf