The North Carolina hamlet of Asheville is enjoying the benefits of a growing population of street musicians, also known as buskers. But the city of just 87,000 is also struggling to address noise and crowd complaints from some residents and business owners who are pushing for more regulations, the New York Times reports.
The tensions resemble many of the same issues New Orleans is grappling with — finding a balance between the tourism and cultural benefits that come with buskers and the desire of residents who want a quieter way of life.
“Critics (in Asheville) say the crowds who pool around the most talented performers block downtown business entrances and spill dangerously into the narrow streets,” the story reports. “And they say less-talented buskers are often little more than panhandlers with musical props; city officials have fielded complaints about their defecating dogs, their aggressive interactions with businesses and their hygiene.”
Local officials considered requiring musicians to obtain permits but that proposal was opposed by musicians and failed to garner support in the Public Safety Committee.
“The committee is now considering extending the mandatory distance between performers to 125 feet, from 40 feet,” according to the report. “Buskers, meanwhile, say the police have begun more rigorously enforcing a law forbidding performers to sell CDs or other recordings.”
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