Over the past year, there has been an increase in busking activity (actually just one group as far as I know) in Riding Mountain National Park that has greatly enhanced the atmosphere of the park. All the musicians I've heard were talented, and I have never heard a negative thing about them from anyone: visitors to the park, or business owners.  
 
This year the park has enforced a series of rules that make it very difficult to do this. Per person, they charge 10$ for an audition, then 100$ for a permit. Your performance time is limited to 60 minutes. You can only perform at designated "busking stops" regardless of permission obtained from business owner. You can't sell cds or do anything of the sort.  
 
These regulations are unfair to musicians, and will hurt the atmosphere, so please, take a minute of your time and send one of the following letters. Feel free to make changes as you see fit. The email addresses you should send it too are as follows.  
friends.rmnp@pc.gc.ca  
rmnp.info@pc.gc.ca  
Box 226  
Onanole, Manitoba  
Canada  
R0J 1N0  
 
 
This letter is for visitors to the park, feel free to make changes:  
To Whom It May Concern,  
 
I am a frequent visitor to the park, and over the past two years, one of the greatest things additions to the park is the live music. The live music played in front of stores enhanced the atmosphere of the park, and truly made me feel like I was on a vacation. I was saddened to hear of the regulations being put on these musicians as I feel it will prevent them from playing the music they, and I love so much.  
 
I have never had any complaints about any of the musicians I have heard in the park, and nor have anyone I have talked to.  
 
Please consider revising these rules to make it easier for musicians to play.  
 
Thank you,  
 
_____________________  
 
This letter is for musicians who have played, or would like to play:  
To Whom It May Concern,  
 
I am a musician who would like to play in Riding Mountain National Park. I have spent many hours practicing to perform for the public, the regulations surrounding busking make it very hard for me to effectively use my hard-earned talents, because they make busking financially unsustainable and do not allow flexible, fun shows that are conducive to a good atmosphere.  
 
The 10$ audition fee and the 100$ per person fee for the permit itself combined with the cost of the park pass would take days to recuperate by busking. To compound my financial concerns, not being able to sell merchandise at the busk stop, such as tickets to shows or cds significantly inhibits efficient advertising, which in respectful doses, and I assure you that any advertising will be non-intrusive, causes no harm and actually builds a permanent relationships with the fan.  
 
The limits on set time, and start and end time are not easy to make work because of a number of things: for example an out of tune guitar, broken string, or bathroom break could all force a show to not start on the hour. Likewise, when one starts playing it’s not reasonable to expect a performer to end a show once you finally gather an audience. When our workday is going well we don’t mind working overtime.  
 
I, as a performer and visitor to the park have never heard a negative thing about any busker, in fact many people were impressed with the quality of performance and businesses were pleased with the attention that was drawn to the business. All busker I have seen have been extremely respectful, as I would be and as any musician would be. I do not necessarily suggest a removal of all audition process, because poor performances don’t look good for anyone but I respectfully ask that you consider reviewing the regulations that inhibit the performances that enhance that atmosphere of our beautiful park.  
 
Thank you, I hope you will take my concerns into consideration.  
 
____________________  
 
 
Thank you so much for your support. Please send these letters, so we can make some change!  

$110. is a small price to make sure busking is not begging.  
I like buskers having a couple of rules and a small fee to keep the jerks away from me.  

Really? It's a 110$ per person. In a four piece ensemble, that 440$! Plus the park passes. It would take days to recuperate that by busking! Furthermore, there has never been any begging as far as I have seen, and I've been there many years. That small fee is not financially sustainable.

Lets see. the 110 for a season is not too high in any context!.If it was per week or something I would be concerned!The auditions is kinda over the top IMO. They will not stay if no one likes them or throws coin in. The time limit sucks though.  
 
As far as not selling goods. That is a no brainer. A Busker is selling his talent. CD's T shirts etc is a business. If they were to be allowed to sell goods it is time to set up shop. Buskers are now competing for tourist dollars from shop owners who pay a tad more than 110 a season to be there.  
 
As far as location-- well it keeps the sidewalks clear of clutter and also helps to reduce the sheer numbers that may come. It also lets the shop owners have a voice of where the buskers go! Wall to wall buskers wandering around and setting up willy nilly is not tourist friendly if there is no controls.  
 
It is a national park and just like people with cabins and real businesses there is rules for a reason. Is there room for compromise?? Certainly.

As a busker, I can say that i am not competing for business dollars. I bring business to business people. They love my band, people love my band and they want us in front of their stores. As far as selling goods is concerned, I see nothing wrong with selling our cds there. T-shirts would just be hard to pull off. But from a musicians point of view, our cds are the same thing as our shows, you just get to take it home. I don't see the difference!

According to the Friends of Riding Mountain National Park's website the $100 fee allows you to busk in the park for the entire season, and that you can play up to 6x one hour performances a day.  
 
There are a few rules that seem a bit unfair, like needing a separate licence for every every band member, but for the most part it seems reasonable.  
 
Have you tried talking to someone at Parks Canada about this already?  
 
Rules: http://www.friendsofridingmountain.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Rules-and-Regulations.pdf  
Friends of RMNP website: http://www.friendsofridingmountain.ca/index.php/programs/rmnp-buskers/  
EDIT: Links are for anyone else reading this, I assume the topic-starter is well acquainted with these busking regulations already.  
 
Edited by MechE, 2012-06-17 16:45:28

MechE said "According to the Friends of Riding Mountain National Park's website the $100 fee allows you to busk in the park for the entire season, and that you can play up to 6x one hour performances a day.     There are a few rules that seem a bit unfair, like needing a separate licence for every every band member, but for the most part it seems reasonable.     Have you tried talking to someone at Parks Canada about this already?     Rules: <:A target="_blank" HREF="http://www.friendsofridingmountain.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Rules-and-Regulations.pdf">:http://www.friendsofridingmountain.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Rules-and-Regulations.pdf<:/A>:   Friends of RMNP website: <:A target="_blank" HREF="http://www.friendsofridingmountain.ca/index.php/programs/rmnp-buskers/">:http://www.friendsofridingmountain.ca/index.php/programs/rmnp-buskers/<:/A>:   EDIT: Links are for anyone else reading this, I assume the topic-starter is well acquainted with these busking regulations already.     Edited by MechE, 2012-06-17 16:45:28"

So you need to work a couple of hours per person to cover your entire season's overhead?? Sounds like a great deal. I might suggest, these small rules are protecting your business and not hurting you.  
I hope coming on EBrandon and telling everyone about the kind of money they can make busking in RMNP does'nt hurt business for you.  
 
On the otherhand, I do agree with you on the CD issue.

Every business has start up costs. Lots of places charge for an audition/busking permit. It is there to protect the musicians too, if there 30 buskers competing for dollars it lowers everyone's income. They charge per person so that 8 acts don't all try to combine for 1 license and then disband to play separately all summer

This is (like you said) so unfair to musicians! It's selfish that they would take away the right to busk and turn it into a money! There is something wrong with society where we are getting covered by rules and its ruining the opportunity to live with a degree of freedom. What they are doing is wrong, and who are they to have auditions? Who is doing the auditions? Is this based on a few peoples opinions? In my eyes being a musician has been getting harder and harder through out the years. And they are not helping.

Loggs: I think you might be quoting the wrong guy. I've never busked myself, and don't actually know what they make. (care to throw in some figures?)  
 
I was just thinking that it doesn't seem reasonable to make acts pay based on the number of members. It should be easy enough to make a group-licence and to enforce it so the group must be playing together for the licence to be valid. (with a requirement for static membership in the group to prevent it from being used by multiple bands)  
 
Personally I'd rather have a bit of variety in music at the lake, and not just a bunch of solo artists with just a guitar. A group act would already have to split all earnings between their members, making them pay so much more for their licences would be making the economics of it even worse.

Its not surprising that this is happening the same time RMNP lost money from the federal budget. Since the artists don't get any services for the fee, and busking was never a problem in Riding Mountain in previous years, this is pretty much just a cash grab.  
 
The unfortunate result is it will lead to less music in the park, and particularly in areas off the beaten path, like Moon Lake  
 
Besides, why should people need to get a permission slip from a panel of bureaucrats before they play music for others? I thought we were trying to have a free country here?

Crash said "Every business has start up costs. Lots of places charge for an audition/busking permit. It is there to protect the musicians too, if there 30 buskers competing for dollars it lowers everyone's income. They charge per person so that 8 acts don't all try to combine for 1 license and then disband to play separately all summer "

People don't contribute to buskers equally, they contribute to buskers whose music they enjoy  
 
In areas with unregulated busking, untalented acts go home with no money

should get to decide if they want a busker in front of their store or not. If they are selling only their music, then I see no problem if the business doesn't. I think there should just be a small registration fee to pay for someone to organize it. If the business has no problem, then the park shouldn't either. Perhaps there have been issues, and the businesses couldn't come to a unanimous decision. I don't think they should have to pay $110.00 per person if they are a group. But there may be a problem with someone slipping through a loophole and splitting it 4 ways and each taking a turn. Who knows for sure, without all the facts on how they came to this decision.  
 
Edited by xanthe100, 2012-06-17 19:22:09

$10 for an audition seems like a deal to me.  
$100 for approx 100 days is also a deal.  
 
I do feel one should be able to sell their own music, without complications.  
 
Do you know park is required to pay Socan fees to have you there?  
( the fee is more than the $ 110 you would pay them)  
http://www.socan.ca/licensees/music-use#live-music  
 
Have you thought about a business being a sponsor?  
 

A large part of the problem is the group aspect. I often busked last year in a group of 4 or 5 people. (Guitar, Mandolin, Upright bass, Harmonica, voice) it was a blast! But 50 dollars split 5 ways doesn't pay for much more than a daily park pass. If the fee could be split into 5 I wouldn't be as big of a problem. But I agree, it should ultimately be the business owners decision. Multiple business owners loved having us outside of their stores last year as we created an atmosphere and drew customers to their stores which clearly resulted in sales

I have never busked and don't know how RMNP has outlined the definition of "Busking" but I am curious if Business owners want you there then they could potentially "hire" you to play in front of their store - in lieu of pay they could sell your CD's inside their store and maybe cover your park pass.  
 
So you might not be making the spare change that is thrown in the cases but you are however making your CD sales, you still get to play and if the business owner wants you directly in front of their business then that issue seems to be solved as well.

Charging for licenses should help keep the less serious groups from performing.  
 
Personally, The last thing I want to see when on vacation is a bunch of bad musicians dressed like hipsters and begging for money. Especially when they block pedestrian traffic and store entrances.  
 
 
 
I know, I know..."But our band is really good"......It probably isn't.  
 
Busking is just begging with a theme song.  
 
Edited by Ryan_M, 2012-06-18 11:38:08

The Buskering program at RMNP was developed and is being run by Friends of RMNP – a volunteer, non profit charitable organization. All of the rules and regulations are available on the Friends website (friendsofridingmountain.ca) and follow similar rules and regulations that exist in parks and cities across the country (the Forks in Wpg for example).  
 
To clarify some of the points:  
• Busking has never officially been allowed in RMNP, in most cases, it has been overlooked. As Busking is becoming more common however, a need was identified to deal with some of the issues of inappropriate content, safety to spectators and the Park and the Park’s quiet hours.  
• In regards to the fees, the $10.00 audition fee covers the time of staff to meet with the artists and review their works / performances to ensure that it is appropriate for a family oriented environment, and will not cause harm to visitors or the Park. The audition time is when we meet with each of the performers to go over the rules and regulations, talk about what is involved in the programs, answer any questions, plus provide them with their pass(es).  
• Once a Busker passes the audition, there are three different prices structures that they can choose from: a $30.00 weekly licence, a $50.00 monthly licence or a $100.00 annual licence. Performers can choose a weekly or monthly pass to begin with and upgrade if they desire. The Busker licence covers everyone in the group – it is not paid by each member of the group (ie if you are a group of four and you wanted an annual pass, it would be $100.00 plus the $10.00 audition fee. Each member of the group would then receive a Busker Pass that must be displayed each time they perform). Groups must perform as a group, they cannot play at different location at the same time. An annual Busker licence is good from the time of audition to June 1, 2013.  
• If a Busker has merchandise to sell, they must sell it through the Friends of RMNP Nature Shop or Learning Centre locations – we put a 10% mark up on the products to cover our business costs of selling the product and carrying the product under our business licence. Street vendors are not allowed in the National Park (all businesses require a business licence to sell products in the Park) so this is a way of getting around the individual business licence requirement.  
• The six locations around the Wasagaming townsite enable Buskers to move around and entertain different audiences. With thousands of people in the townsite each day during the summer and more on weekends, the locations are positioned to capitalize on tourists / and Park residents. Starting on the hour also enables tourists to know when they can expect groups to be performing – visitors and tourists like to schedule their days on vacation so they appreciate having somewhat of a schedule.  
• If buskers notify Friends of RMNP in advance as to when they are performing, they are advertised on our facebook and twitter feeds (Buskers don’t have to notify us, but we would like to drive more traffic their way if possible).  
• Our database of buskers is available to businesses, individuals, groups etc. that are looking to hire a performer(s) for functions. Businesses are still allowed to hire a performer to perform at their business, the performers are just not allowed to ask for money from patrons (this is where most complaint arise).  
• As mentioned, this program is being developed and run by Friends of RMNP a volunteer / non profit organization (not the Park), once program costs are covered, any “profits” from the Busker licences are reinvested into our education programs for children and other special events that we are involved with in and around the Park (check out our website to see what we do).  

$110 a year for a licence to perform in the park is a good thing and from the rules listed it is quite fair. I had to pay a lot more than $110/year to be able to do my job with a city business licence, trade licencing fees, advertising costs, etc. If you don't like paying the $110/ yr you can always busk at the skate park in Brandon and see if you net as much as you would clear up at RMNP.  
It is the cost of doing business.

SCOTIABANK BUSK STOP FEES  
Fees are set annually, this year the fees are:  
$10.00 Audition Fee (GST included) – payable before auditioning  
$40.00 Annual License Fee (GST included)  
$60.00 Annual License Fee (GST included) if selling preauthorized merchandise.  
 
It appears to be cheaper to get a license for The Forks than for the park. The wording is a bit confusing - it looks like you HAVE to win in the audition competition to get a license... but considering the traffic in that place and the potential "earnings" I guess they need to weed out the lower quality performers.  
 
There used to be several buskers that were out front of the LC on Victoria here in Brandon. Whatever happened there?  
 
Edited by ChrisV, 2012-06-18 12:18:53

Let me just say this:  
 
Most people cannot afford to pay $110 up front. Many can, however, afford to pay $50 (like at the Fork's).  
 
I have never had someone not enjoy my busking. I play guitar and sing contemporary pop songs, and I had numerous little girls to which I dedicated songs for (so cute!)  
 
The high price is driving people away because it is grossly unaffordable. It has driven me away. And RMNP will lose its music because of it. So very sad that these regulations were put in place, because they did not need to be.

claim to know anything about busking...but let me just ask...do you pay taxes on every dollar you make? If not, I think you are getting a pretty good deal...healthcare for an entire summer for $110 per person! Now that is a deal I would like to have!

I think that Friends of the Park has made it very easy for buskers to play in different locations around the park. Players can start by getting a $30 week permit and if they find it lucrative they can just upgrade to a season permit. Pretty reasonable investment for the opportunuty to make some money with flexible hours and lots of positive feedback. That is great that CD's can be sold all summer out of Friends of the Park. I look forward to the positive addition to the atmosphere on Wasagaming!

I think the park's regulations and costs are more than fair. And this is coming for a musician. And Shootingstar, for those that are serious about it, $110 is definitely affordable. People spend more than that on getting jeans and a t-shirt. You just have to make it a priority if you have a lower income. Maybe save for a week or two. I appreciate that the park makes groups 'audition' to ensure that the park stays a family friendly environment. I don't have a family of my own yet, but it's always been a great place for kids, and I think it should stay that way!

He's a musician, and he auditioned for and purchased a license last year to busk at the Forks in Winnipeg. His response to this discussion was, "Really? I'm going up there today to audition!" If you look in yesterday's Brandon Sun, you'll see a picture of him busking at the park with his cello. He's been busking a couple of days each week-end, and then most days over this past week. That busking license was a great investment for him. He worked hard, playing for several hours a day (6 is the maximum allowed under the license, versus 3 hours per day at the Forks). He found the audition requirement and the fee for the license to be reasonable, and was recovered in less than a day.  
 
My son has been working at a minimum-wage job during the week since January to earn money for his second year of college. This busking opportunity has been a tremendous help to him. We are all grateful to those at the park that have opened this door of possibility.

Your son plays well, Floyd.  
 
I heard from a local restaurant owner that retaining dishwashers is difficult because they make better money and have more fun busking.

 
 
Edited by dove1, 2012-08-28 23:51:18

With the passes on place I did notice more up there last week than I had in previous years. The young guy on the cello was making a killing! Lots of people on the patio at the WigWam went and put some coin in his case after eating. Saw a few bills in there as well.