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This from the Baltimore Sun:
Street performer proposal a hit at hearing
Measure seeks to regulate sidewalk entertainers
By Lester J. Davis
Sun Staff
Originally published June 18, 2004
A proposal that could transform the sidewalks of Baltimore into stages for street entertainers received a warm welcome at a hearing yesterday in front of Councilwoman Catherine E. Pugh and Councilman Robert W. Curran at City Hall.
Pugh, who introduced the bill in January, said the ordinance seeks to license and regulate street performers in order to enliven the city.
She said the legislation, which has the support of 10 other council members, would bring additional revenue to the city through licensing fees to be paid by performers, but more importantly it would make the city more welcoming to tourists.
Performers would have to pay a one-time $25 application fee and an annual fee of $75 for a downtown location and $50 for a spot elsewhere in the city.
Sam Mathews, who has performed as a street musician, said he attended yesterday's hearing to show his support for the ordinance.
"When I go downtown it would be nice, every now and then, to hear some live music," said Mathews, of Baltimore County.
"It doesn't have to be a top-notch performance, but it could be someone expressing themselves."
Representatives from the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts spoke in favor of the proposal yesterday.
And J. Kirby Fowler Jr., the incoming president of the Downtown Partnership, a business advocacy group, said he also supported the bill but told the council members that they failed to address a key issue: noise control.
"It's just something to keep in mind when you have performances right outside of businesses," Fowler said.
Fowler was also concerned that the ordinance was, at times, contradictory.
For example, the proposal defines a street performer as someone who solicits donations, he pointed out, but the bill also prohibits receiving donations.
Currently, Harborplace at the Inner Harbor has a monopoly on street entertainment.
The Rouse Co. manages Harborplace, where street performers often entertain, and a spokeswoman for the company said at first, officials there were surprised that the city didn't seek their input. But more recently, the city has involved Rouse.
After Pugh's bill has been amended, another hearing will be scheduled, possibly as early as Monday, the councilwoman said.
Street performer proposal a hit at hearing
Measure seeks to regulate sidewalk entertainers
By Lester J. Davis
Sun Staff
Originally published June 18, 2004
A proposal that could transform the sidewalks of Baltimore into stages for street entertainers received a warm welcome at a hearing yesterday in front of Councilwoman Catherine E. Pugh and Councilman Robert W. Curran at City Hall.
Pugh, who introduced the bill in January, said the ordinance seeks to license and regulate street performers in order to enliven the city.
She said the legislation, which has the support of 10 other council members, would bring additional revenue to the city through licensing fees to be paid by performers, but more importantly it would make the city more welcoming to tourists.
Performers would have to pay a one-time $25 application fee and an annual fee of $75 for a downtown location and $50 for a spot elsewhere in the city.
Sam Mathews, who has performed as a street musician, said he attended yesterday's hearing to show his support for the ordinance.
"When I go downtown it would be nice, every now and then, to hear some live music," said Mathews, of Baltimore County.
"It doesn't have to be a top-notch performance, but it could be someone expressing themselves."
Representatives from the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts spoke in favor of the proposal yesterday.
And J. Kirby Fowler Jr., the incoming president of the Downtown Partnership, a business advocacy group, said he also supported the bill but told the council members that they failed to address a key issue: noise control.
"It's just something to keep in mind when you have performances right outside of businesses," Fowler said.
Fowler was also concerned that the ordinance was, at times, contradictory.
For example, the proposal defines a street performer as someone who solicits donations, he pointed out, but the bill also prohibits receiving donations.
Currently, Harborplace at the Inner Harbor has a monopoly on street entertainment.
The Rouse Co. manages Harborplace, where street performers often entertain, and a spokeswoman for the company said at first, officials there were surprised that the city didn't seek their input. But more recently, the city has involved Rouse.
After Pugh's bill has been amended, another hearing will be scheduled, possibly as early as Monday, the councilwoman said.