Preparing For London - Rules

My second time busking at Southwark station

As I said in my previous post, I had some learning to do about the rules and regulations before I could start busking in the underground. Initially I did have some small idea about how the rules worked by googling what it was like to busk down there. Before I was allowed to collect my licence, I was given a list of terms and conditions to agree to. It was my first glimpse into how intricate the system is. I was also given more details after I collected my licence. But as I learned, if you work within the rules, the rules can work for you. They’re there to make everything fair and safe. I don’t want to bore you with the details of all the rules, so…

Suffice it to say that basically, my licence lasts for a year then I can get it renewed if I meet all the requirements. The main requirement is to complete a certain amount of 2 hr slots in the year. Plus don’t do anything bad to immediately lose the licence (don’t commit a crime, for example). When I actually go to busk, I have to sign in and out so they can keep track of exactly who is in the station if there’s an emergency. I’m also supposed to book my slots in advance. I’ll talk more about how the booking system affects me in a future blog post.

What I've learned so far is, for certain spots at certain times I need to get myself booked in at the station office 15 minutes before my start time. That way I can ensure I can get down to my pitch and start on time. However, I’ve been having trouble with charging my tablet which has caused me some delay getting to my slots as the day goes on… I’ll explain more in my next post about equipment.

I'm Learning!

So now I’ve gone down to London a couple of times and I understand the system a lot better. Not perfectly, mind you, but now everything doesn’t feel so daunting like it did in the beginning.  

(I still have lots of questions. For instance, each slot lasts 2 hrs, but if the next person doesn’t show up, you can keep playing there, I think.  If they are 15 mins or more late they lose the slot? Or sometimes nobody booked the slot after you.  But we are supposed to sign out within 30 mins of our slot ending. So how long can we stay? Is it better to book that spot again for the next two hours even if you might not stay the whole time? It’s all very confusing!) 

Whenever I busk outside of House of Fraser in Lincoln, it means all the good spots were taken further down the high street!

My perspective of the rules is that the people who organise busking in the underground just created a system and then they give each person the tools to navigate it. And it’s up to each individual to learn how to work the system as it applies to them. But that’s a good thing. Each person has to take responsibility for their own behaviour within the confines of the space that’s provided and it creates opportunities for people to flourish if they want to. I intend to keep doing my homework and flourish as much as possible. Also, because of it, I feel an element of security when I go down to London to busk in the underground that I don’t feel on the streets in other places. I know that when I go down, I have somewhere to be at a certain time and I’ll be warm, dry and safe. Does anybody else who busks in the underground feel the same way? Let me know in the comments below!

However, I have to say that bringing all my equipment down to London does take a lot of planning, and that’s what I’ll be talking about in my next post, so stay tuned!