London launches world’s first contactless payment scheme for street performers

[steven36]

Here’s a casualty of the cashless society you might not have previously thought of: the humble street performer. After all, if more of us are paying our way with smartphones and contactless cards, how can we give spare change to musicians on the subway? London has one solution: a new scheme that outfits performers with contactless payment terminals.

 

 

The project was launched this weekend by the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, and is a collaboration with Busk In London (a professional body for buskers) and the Swedish payments firm iZettle (which was bought this month by PayPal for $2.2 billion). A select few performers have been testing iZettle’s contactless readers on the streets for the past few weeks, and Khan now says the scheme will be rolled out across London’s 32 boroughs.

 

Charlotte Campbell, a full-time street performer who was part of the trial, told BBC News that the new tech “had a significant impact on contributions.” Said Campbell: “More people than ever tap-to-donate whilst I sing, and often, when one person does, another follows.”

 

 

The readers need to be connected to a smartphone or tablet, and accept payments of fixed amounts (set by the individual performer). They work with contactless cards, phones, and even smartwatches. There’s no detail yet on how many readers will be provided to London’s street performers, or whether they will have to pay for the readers themselves.

 

Although individuals do sometimes set up their own contactless payment systems (and in China, it’s not uncommon to see street performers and beggars use QR codes to solicit mobile tips), this seems to be the first scheme of its kind spearheaded by a city authority.

 

“Busking helps emerging artists to hone their talent and gives them the chance to perform in front of huge numbers of people,” said Khan in a press statement. “I’m delighted that iZettle has chosen London to launch this innovative scheme - allowing artists to accept donations by card payment, as well as cash. Now, more Londoners will be able to show their support to the capital’s brilliant, talented street performers.”

 

Although street performers will be able to adapt to this change, it’s also worth thinking about those that won’t, like the homeless. Experts say that if coins and notes disappears from city streets it’ll be yet another barrier that keeps the destitute out of society. If you don’t have a bank account or access to the internet, how are you supposed to live in a world without cash? That’s a question we’ve yet to answer.

 

Source

[LeeSmithG]

I wish they would get rid of the racket street performers do.

Espcially in London.

[dufus]

Is busking legal?

Yes - busking on public land is legal in most places. However there are some exceptions:

The London Borough of Camden has introduced a bylaw that requires acts with music or amplification to have a busking licence. If you perform without one you could be arrested and have your equipment seized.

Uxbridge Town Centre in the London Borough of Hillingdon has introduced a bylaw that requires all acts using the four town centre pitches to have a busking licence. If you perform without one you could be arrested and have your equipment seized.

The financial district of the City of London (known as the Square Mile) allows performers but does not allow money to be collected in public places.

Some parks and squares have bylaws that don't allow busking.

Private land owners may have their own policy on busking and you may require permission from the landowner. It is often hard to tell private from public land, so please check with a local warden or business or contact Busk in London if you are unsure.

Private busking schemes that have entry requirements, such as auditions, permits or licences, include: the London Underground Busking Scheme; some pitches at Covent Garden; and the Southbank Centre Busking Scheme (between the London Eye and Hungerford Bridge).

http://buskinlondon.com/code