Street performers told to keep it down — or face the music
It helped to propel Paolo Nutini, Gerry Rafferty and KT Tunstall to stardom, but concerns have been raised about the future of busking in Scotland.
Guidelines to restrict noise nuisance associated with street performers have been introduced in several cities.
In Edinburgh and Dundee, performers have been told not to use amplifiers and in Glasgow buskers are asked not to play the same songs repeatedly. A bagpiper was arrested in front of tourists on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, in June last year after officers judged that the noise he was making was excessive.
The Scottish capital has introduced a system where buskers are shown a yellow card and face fines and having their equipment seized as part of a crackdown on antisocial performances. Notices stating