The Musicians’ Union is backing a campaign calling on Westminster Council to identify new busking pitches in the London borough after a court ruling earlier this year that effectively banned busking around Leicester Square, traditionally a key spot for street performers in the capital.
That’s the ruling where the judge stated, “while the volume” of the music “is the principal mischief, it is clear that the nuisance is exacerbated by the repetition and poor quality of some of the performances”.
Despite the judge’s scathing critique, MU London Regional Officer Simeon Scheuber-Rush stresses that, “busking is a form of creative work and should be respected. It is part of the cultural fabric of our cities and towns, with Leicester Square being one of the capital’s most iconic cultural spaces”.
Referencing that recent court ruling, he argues that performers “working within the law should not be punished for simply doing their job”, adding “we are urging Westminster Council to find new pitches which are viable and accessible”.
It was Global Radio that prompted the court decision on busking in Leicester Square, it being happy to pump out recorded music via most of its radio stations, but less happy to listen to music being performed live outside its central London HQ.
After a number of other Leicester Square businesses backed up Global Radio’s complaint about the “industrially amplified daily concerts” taking place outside their buildings, a judge in the City Of London magistrates’ court ordered Westminster Council to stop those performances.
The MU believes the ruling was unfair, “silencing musicians and setting a dangerous precedent in London and across the UK”. Alongside performer union Equity and the Westminster Street Performers Association, it is campaigning for the council to now ensure that musicians have alternative viable places to play in the West End.
To promote that campaign, buskers, musicians, street performers and local politicians gathered in Leicester Square yesterday.
Further defending the buskers of central London, Scheuber-Rush continues, “buskers help to entice and attract the attention of people who then shop in local businesses and spend time in local restaurants and cafes”. So much so, he adds, “businesses in Leicester Square have anecdotally reported to the campaign a drop in footfall since the court ruling effectively banned busking in the area”.