Brighton Busking Regulations: What is actually Allowed?

Although to busk in Brighton & Hove you don't require a licence - there are some guidelines and rules buskers need to be aware of. Being a busker myself - I will draw a comparison between my own experience and what is written by council to give you as realistic picture of busking regulations in the city as possible.

First of all - here is an official Busker Advice leaflet that I advice you to quickly read through. You can also have a look at the official page with a quick summary of rules for the buskers. Now in reality, not everything is being enforced, most "rules" are only enforced when there is a public complaint. And depending on the spot you are busking - it's good to know what you can get away with and what remains a restriction.

• Mains, battery or generator-powered amplification is not permitted (according to Busker Advice leaflet)

In reality - most of the buskers in the city are using amplification and getting away with it. There are only few spots to my knowledge where amplification is not tolerated: Gardner Street (next to Infinity Foods) only allows acoustic instruments; and so is Gloucester Road next to Kensington gardens. Another restriction on amplification includes Pavilion Gardens, but here it only applies to vocal amplification (instruments are still fine). 

Elsewhere in Brighton - simply amplify to a reasonable level and you should be fine. Also - avoid pointing your amp to the entrance of a shop or a restaurant, not a good idea.

• Drumming is not welcome in Brighton and Hove because it causes too many complaints (according to Busker Advice leaflet)

This is not entirely true. To a degree - drumming would not fit peaceful and quiet busking spots, but noisy places like Churchill Square or North Street (next to the Barclays / Poundland) are usually very well tolerated. Another good idea for drummers is to try seafront where you are not surrounded by residential homes and businesses - plenty of space out there to get loud!

• Entertainment is restricted to a maximum of one hour in one place (according to Busker Advice leaflet)

One hour rule in Brighton is advisory and often is an ethical compromise between the businesses and buskers. It is also used between buskers on the busy days when sharing a single spot. Exception to this rule however is when no one minds your playing and no other busker is willing to busk at your spot - therefore you can play longer.

Sometimes you see buskers playing in one spot for the whole day - this jazz band for example plays on East Street almost every day - all day. After years of busking, they have developed a very good relationship with the restaurants and therefore remain exceptional to this rule.

The main point with playing in one spot - avoid being repetitive (have 1 hour set), deliver high quality music and keep your volume reasonable - this should prevent you from getting complaints.

• You are not allowed to sell any recordings of your music or other items whilst busking (according to Busker Advice leaflet) 

Although it is not allowed, many buskers still choose to sell their CDs and get away with it most of the time. If you intend to sell CD's - don't do it in a very obvious way, give it a try and if someone tells you off about it - say you "didn't know". As long as you are not doing an obvious street trade, you are most likely to be left alone.

• Busking should not be conducted by cash point machines or any similar area (according to Busker Advice leaflet) 

And still - many buskers play next to the cash-points and get away with it. Some of the very common busking spots with cash-points are in Churchill Square, Duke street and a corner of Bond and North street.

• No sign shall be displayed inviting payment (according to Busker Advice leaflet) 

Although begging is a criminal offence, there is an obvious distinction between a beggar and a busker. In my opinion if you look presentable you should be fine. I have used various signs myself and never been told off  about it.

Play at reasonable level - control the volume so that it is audible only to passers-by in the immediate vicinity (..) Entertainers must stop performing immediately when requested to do so (..) (according to Busker Advice leaflet) 

Oppose to all the other regulations - something council cares about is complaints from the residents and shopkeepers. Once you get a complaint - there is nothing you can do and unfortunately you do not have the right to continue. I was asked to move once before I even started busking and refused to go, because I haven't made any noise yet... After police got involved - I simply had to leave, there was nothing I could do...

On the other hand - you can't let people take advantage of you - I had people saying to me I can't busk in certain spot or I will be charged £200 fine, or I need a licence to busk. Some people just don't like buskers and as long as they don't make an official complaint - you are fine. Tell them you are not required to have a licence and there is no £200 fee, you are not doing anything wrong. It's different when someone complains about how loud you are...

- SUMMARY -

The Busking Regulations are mainly advisory and if you didn't skip the post - you should now understand you can get away with many things. However, when someone complains to the police, ultimately you can't do much about it, but move...

My general advice here is to be reasonable and avoid complaints. If you have a short set, you can't be playing in one spot for long, keep moving every hour or you risk getting banned in one spot permanently. If you use an amp - turn it down to a reasonable level, don't try to get attention of the people by being loud. If you are not sure if you can busk in a certain spot - ask businesses around for permission. Best practise here - have at least one hour set of music, stay within reasonable volume and be aware of the businesses around.

Hope this helps - if you have anything to add to this list, please comment! :)
Don't get discouraged - and get busking!

Has anyone seen Zebra yet? ...

With every day it is getting warmer and warmer as we are slowly approaching summer! Every year it happens - I forget the difference warm weather makes and when it hits you, suddenly life feels fuller, more enjoyable with so many things to do, so many things to see... And of course - a chance to busk! Get that zebra outfit out of the cupboard, polish my amp and dive into the spring with a set of amazing piano music...

I am going All-In. Give or take - I quit my weekend job I had for the past 6 years and now busking full time. Weekends are usually the busiest days and I remember working last year on absolutely stunning days and thinking to myself: "I wish I was busking..." Honestly - it was about time to make that decision! And things haven't been bad for me either. 

Busking on Easter Sunday I was caught by a radio DJ from Juice Brighton - Kate Goddard. She mentioned me on the radio show later that day - I wouldn't even know if my friend didn't text me... Isn't that interesting I'm doing this for the third year and I still get local people seeing zebra for the first time? 

Nevertheless yesterday an interview I gave to Witness BTN was posted up on Facebook filmed by the same guy who caught me on my first day of busking as a Zebra back in 2015. It was a very good chance for me to say "Thank you" to all the wonderful people in Brighton. 

On a smaller scale - I had a wonderful gig yesterday at Life Time Value Conference in Clarendon centre. Their excuse for hiring a Zebra for a business conference was an article comparing Zebra and Unicorn type of businesses: "Zebra's Fix What Unicorns Break". Being a Zebra is cool! 

Another great thing that happened to me - someone told me I have been featured in a poem which was read on BBC Radio 4. How peculiar is that? Funny how inspiration can come from anywhere - even Zebra playing the piano like myself...

Having only started busking this year - I didn't expect so many things to happen already! Busking full time and getting this much support is definitely a tremendous motivation boost in the morning to get up and get out there busking! 

Thank you to all the people of Brighton - I'll see you around! ;)