One of the pet peeves that I have with Busking in the New Millenium is the requirement of Liability Insurance for more and more pitches.

I have it, it sucks, but forcing me to line the coffers of an Insurance company so one can do Card Tricks in public or whatever I feel is quite ridiculous.

I first came across this requirement several years ago at Circular Quay Oz and it seems to have spread to The USA & Canada & the UK more and more.

As a hired performer or someone juggling chain saws or fire...I can see that. But for the rest of us, I see the only one benefiting are the insurance companies. Fear mongering methinks.

What do the rest of you lot think about Performers Insurance? Do any of you know an actual case of a busker being sued for large amounts?

It's getting more and more complicated, especially since insurance in one country doesn't cover you for another. And many places require their place named as additional insured.

My morning rant

Cards are very dangerous...
Of course it's a insurance scam but pitches are very nervous these days. They probably feel it's better to cover all bases than be caught with their pants down. Like you said, it's complicated and expensive.
After 20 years of busking, I've never heard of a busker being sued...quite the contrary, actually.

Actually,
embarrassingly,..
i do know of a guy,..
whom kinda brought the bag of potatoes,
to the mill.

About 20 some years ago,
Covent Gardens,
Dave the Rave (dave gomez,...sorry dave 🙃),
gives his Fire Diablo a toss,....
lands somewhere on the Opera House roof. 🤔
Pretty funny moment,...
until folks,
including Dave,
start wondering,...
,..what the little diablo might be doing,
up there.
....the house was full.

Someone goes inside and mentions the precarious situation,...
the Fire Trucks come,..
sirens and all.
An extra,..extra loooong ladder truck,... 😂
It was a great crowd!

,...if we'd only 'bottled',....THEN!

Insurence wasn't heard of,..then.
One week latter,
it was.
,....as well as,
'no more fire diablos'.

The law hit everybody.
,...including Musicians.
When we agrued,
the city argued back,
"Who would have expect THAT to happen?,..!"

p.s.: Dave's playing in Indonesia now. 🙃

(he's actually a really good guy,..
with a really funny Show.
A big heart.
A big thumb.
,..and no more Diablo.)

gallagher

Yeah it's the total pits.
I've pretty much stopped street performing at this point. I haven't been out in almost a year, maybe.
Everything just all of a sudden started bummin me out about it. Mostly regulations!
I say go perform without the insurance and then trip over the curb as they kick you out and sue them. Haha

Http://www.magician.org/resources/ibm-en......nsurance

,..i thought it's kinda funny;
they Won'T cover,..
Hypnotists(!),... 😊 💤💤💤

The rest of the policy is interesting,..
It excuses itself, by mentioning:
"...in today's climate, of sueing and legal hassle,.."

I think, there lays the beast,
as well.

Ricky Jay's "Cards as Weapons",
didn't help things much! 😄 🙃 😄 ☺️ 😄

I know that my license to busk in Providence doesn't cover Waterfire

http://waterfire.org/

They handle their own busker requirements and one of them is that you have busker insurance.
I don't think I make enough to make it worthwhile.

Yeah, and that's one of the effects insurance is creating. Unless you have a large circle show that can pull in big crowds/bucks...a lot of performers are shying away. So you end up with Unicyclists juggling fire, big Amp shows, etc..I know a couple performers that actually like the insurance requirement as it cuts the competition way way down...thus more shows and $$$ for them. In the long run I think it may be bad for the future of busking as we know it.

I could not agree more with Stperformers comment. I have a friend who blindly complies with every rule and regulation.
Last year he suggested to me that it would be a good idea to take out PLI insurance..I pointed out to him that it was because of attitudes like his that these insurance companies are fleesing people. Like someone else says 'cards are very dangerous'. It just makes my **** boil. Fortunately things are still fairly relaxed here in the UK , I am sure that it is only a matter of time though. I won,t be paying any blood sucking insurance company a penny ,the first time the issue is forced upon me that will be the end of my busking days.

Well I can't agree more about not having insurance.

Although I find you have to have it if you want to play.
Just the way it is and I'm not going to let that dictate my busking.

I have 2 million dollar coverage and that pretty much covers me anywhere.
But yes would rather not have to do it at all.