This is unfair: Melbourne CBD busking
I am feeling a lot of things today. Mostly sadness and anger.
And that has everything to do with a group of people who have been consistently filing complaints against me when I am busking in Block Place. One of the very few good spots where I CAN play without straining my voice.
At first the complaints were: too loud, too long, too repetitive. But according to the official busking guidelines I was doing nothing like that. I don’t play with an amplifier so I can’t be too loud. I play one hour and a half max and then I leave. I play the same set twice.
A local laws officer has been trying to accommodate between us. In reality it was just me doing EVERYTHING they demanded. But what the complainers really meant was that I was playing too much in that particular spot. Even though there is officially nothing wrong with that. I have now reduced my busking to twice a week at Block Place (instead of five times).
But they still weren’t happy. This next complaint was about one of the songs I was playing: Pony by Ginuwine. Something about being inappropriate. They are clearly coming at me with ANY reason. But fine I am no longer playing that song.
No one else in Block Place seems to have a problem with me. It’s all cafes and restaurants. They LOVE having me there because I make people smile and I bring in customers. The complaints come from non hospitality workers.
Today I was busking at Block Place again. After my set I got a message yet again from the laws officer saying I should call him. And that could only be bad news.
The complainers claimed I was playing a song about them so they are going to take legal action since it states in the guidelines that a performer cannot provoke. Pretty cocky of them to think I wrote a song about them. I can’t help it if certain people can relate to a song.
They have now taken it to the higher ups. The inspector told me that they are “probably going to win this one”. I could lose my busking permit and Block Place could be banned from busking. This really upsets me. Music is my only source of income and Melbourne is a lovely place for music.
This is so unfair. I have been nothing but accommodating and in the end I could be forced to stop what I do, what I love.
I am pretty sure I won’t lose my permit. But I am guessing I could be banned from Block Place. But I am not going down without a fight! I’ll at least try to make sure other street performers can play there. I really want to get an amplifier so I can move to a bigger street, away from all that negative energy. Perhaps you want to help me with that? It is the first goal I have set on www.patreon.com/jonisheila
I want to keep making music :)
Please share your thoughts.
