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Downtown buskers? A treasure
We are pleased that Asheville’s Public Safety Committee recognizes local buskers “as an irreplaceable public good.”
The aforementioned assessment was voiced during a presentation to the committee in late September after city staff researched possible new options for buskers. The examination was prompted by complaints from business-owners, visitors and residents.
The presentation detailed what some other cities are doing, such as New York City, Savannah, Ga., Charleston, S.C. and Portland, Ore. After all was said and done, the committee told city staff not to explore new options for regulating buskers.
Interestingly, the busking rules drew the most attention at the meeting, even though they were only part of a larger city staff discussion about sharing public space downtown.
While praising the contribution of the buskers to downtown, city staff noted negatives, including ambiguity of the noise ordinance, concerns about blocking sidewalks and business entrances, conflicts between performers, amplified sound and merchandise sales disguised as donations.
To us, the street musicians and other buskers are one of the things that make our much-heralded “quirkiest town” in the United States so charming.
While we are sympathetic with the sentiment expressed at the meeting that Asheville needs to look at busker-friendly rules to strengthen the city’s reputation as a destination for street musicians, we also want to be extra-careful not to kill the goose that laid the golden egg with overregulation.
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