Adelaide busker income affected by zone restrictions
Buskers have long had a presence in the centre of Adelaide -- but new regulations have seen their numbers dwindle. Some local musicians say they're considering moving interstate so they can keep playing music.
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00:00 They're a familiar sight in Rundle Mall.
00:07 But for regular buskers in the heart of Adelaide, new rules are hitting hard.
00:15 "So considering looking for other work or moving into state, because it's definitely
00:22 turned to the point of being not enough to live off."
00:26 But the changed rules made part of the mall off-limits for buskers.
00:30 Armin Gunay says his income has quartered since July, when security told him the mall's
00:36 central zone was closed to performers temporarily.
00:39 "If this zone stays closed off, then once my uni's finished, I'm out."
00:46 Performers say the section of the strip they're now barred from was the most lucrative area.
00:51 And a lack of available space means they're now sometimes having to wait for hours on
00:55 a weekend in an informal queue.
00:58 "If you make it worse, the good buskers will leave, and then there won't be any good buskers
01:04 left, and then it'll make it even worse and they might have to regulate more."
01:08 The mall is overseen by the Adelaide Economic Development Agency, which hasn't said why
01:13 they've closed off the central section or how long it will remain off-limits.
01:19 But they say busking locations are regularly reviewed, in line with commercial and environmental
01:25 factors.
01:26 The performers are calling for better communication and a more formalised process through council,
01:32 with busking auditions and a ballot for time slots.
01:35 "Free, spontaneous entertainment is kind of magical. People that weren't expecting to
01:41 see a show get to see one."
01:42 And while this busker hopes to keep the magic alive, he's uncertain when change will come.
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