The Hindu Business Line : Busking away to glory

Foot-tapping music leads you down the lane into Covent Garden where Richard sings his blues away, busking in the afternoon sun. Beer can strapped to his left foot and a woollen skull-cap pulled over his long, black and curly hair, the casually dressed musician renders his version of Eric Santana's Black Magic Woman on his guitar, accompanied by another guitarist. And the little gathering of Saturday shoppers around him sways gently to the rhythm.

His music album, titled Richard's Got The Blues, lies in front of him on a tray that has also been laid out to collect money from his audience and passers-by. "I've been busking here for the last 15 years," he says, as he takes a quick break to bite into an apple.

Richard is a busker, or a street musician, as they are called in other parts of the world like the US. Buskers are officially licensed to play at designated places in the London Underground's stations, besides being allowed to set up their mini orchestras and musical accompaniments in parks and other public places. "I did have an audition, after which I was allowed to play here," Richard recollects, though he's rather hazy about who took the audition. Though they appear like impromptu singers, the buskers are a regulated tribe and the licence rules change in different locations.

According to the Transport for London Web site, there are nearly 400 buskers playing 3,000 hours of music every week. And renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, brother of music composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, became the first official busker in 2003 on the London Underground.

Regulations vary for busking at different locations, with local authorities being in charge in some cases. For instance, performing at the underground station requires a licence, a system that became effective from 2003. At other public places, it may not be quite so structured, though it would still require buskers to be in touch with the local authority in the area.

According to Richard, buskers may have to give auditions, are liable to be taxed, may have a fixed time to perform and even need to have insurance. Quite understandable then that a middle-aged busker who was preparing to sing at the Covent Garden declined to be drawn into a conversation that would eat into his performance time and earnings for the day. "If you wish to speak to me, you will have to contribute," he says bluntly, unwilling to talk for anything less than £20.

Covent Garden has an array of shops and food outlets, and bustles with activity during the weekends. So besides competing with the marketing tactics of shops, buskers here also have to compete with other performers like magicians, jugglers and people painted like statues to catch the attention of families and shoppers flocking here.

The festive mood at Covent Garden is broken by lilting strains of traditional Chinese music, as a busker of Chinese origin plays the `Sheng'. A placard placed in front of him informs that Sheng is the oldest wind instrument in the world, dating back over 3,000 years. The church organ and the accordion are based on this instrument, the placard says. He too is hawking his music album, priced at £10. Grudgingly, he speaks a little about the instrument he plays and soon clamps down with, "You will have to pay me to speak now!"

"Money has never been a consideration for me," Richard says, when he hears of the experience with fellow buskers. He gathers the coins from his tray, puts them in his pocket and flips a £1 coin back into the tray to encourage audiences to be more generous in their contributions. "I used to play my guitar at home. One day my friend asked me to accompany him and I did," he says, reflecting on how he got into busking. "If money was the consideration, I would not be here," he adds, as he prepares for his next song.

A Web site for singers estimates that buskers earn about £20 per hour and some of them use the money to support education or travel plans, besides supplementing family income. Richard sings for the love of music and he performs for three hours every day till another musician replaces him at the same spot. Dressed in jeans, shirt and a straw hat, the busker replacing Richard provides the crowd now gathering for him with lively country music.

Having just got a glimpse into the busker's world, as one walks away from Covent Garden, an elderly busker begins to strum his guitar. Soulfully he sings "Killing me softly with his song", as the warm sunlight draws the day to a close, giving way to a chilly evening.