Edit to update: The busking fee was removed, thank you all for your support!

Worcester has initiated a busking fee, which we never had before. This hurts artists and musicians in the following ways:

1. Busking is often done by independent artists who don’t have significant financial backing. Imposing a fee means they have to allocate a portion of their earnings to cover the cost, decreasing potential income, as they now have to balance their earnings against the fee, Further, it may be challenging to gather the initial funds needed to pay the fee, restricting their ability to showcase their talent.

2. Busking provides musicians with the opportunity to perform in public spaces, reaching a diverse and varied audience, which ultimately diminishes their exposure and potential for future opportunities.

3. Busking allows musicians to experiment, develop their skills, and refine their craft through real-time audience feedback. A fee may discourage musicians from taking risks or trying something new, as they may feel pressure regarding a ROI, prioritizing funds over artistic exploration.

4. Busking fees can act as barriers to entry for aspiring musicians trying to break into the industry. For those starting out, and gain experience in public spaces.

6. Busking contributes to the city’s vibrancy and cultural richness, imposing fees may discourage musicians from participating, leading to a decline in street performances, which are often enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.

Overall, a busking fee can hinder musicians' ability to earn money for food or gas, limit their artistic growth, reduce their exposure, and impact the diverse cultural landscape of a community.

I also want to mention that Cambridge had removed the busking fee in 2019, and there's other articles about these changes, using words such as dormant to describe the streets sans street performers.

Boston has also said this about the fee:

Nov 6, 2023 — "The City does not require or issue permits for street performers in public areas." - Boston.gov

In conclusion, it should be noted that "In Goldstein v. Town of Nantucket, the Town of Nantucket had tried to regulate street performers as vendors, which the court did not accept as valid"

"Street performing cannot be prohibited in an area where other forms of free speech are not prohibited. For example, if street performing is regulated or banned but people are allowed to conduct free speech behavior for pickets, protests, religious, political, educational, sports, commercial or other purposes, then the law is illegal. In the United States any form of regulation on artistic free speech must not be judgmental, and permits must not be so restrictive, complex, difficult or expensive to obtain that they inhibit free speech. It is also unlawful per federal court decision for law officers to seize a performer's instruments." - wiki/Street_performing_(U.S._case_law)

Please come together and request the City of Worcester officials and the parks department waive the busking fee and allow entertainment such as guitar playing singer songwriter, juggling, breakdancing, and all public performers to bring back life to our streets!