In Madrid, Street Performers Worry They'll Be Regulated Out of Existence

Finding a steady income in Spain these days is no easy feat. In a country where unemployment consistently hovers around 25 percent, thousands of musicians and other artists have turned to busking on city streets as a way to get by. In Madrid, however, even that is becoming increasingly difficult to do.

Since January 1, a new law passed by the Madrid city council has banned amplifiers, limited performance times, and required that all street performers remain no less than 75 yards away from each other, with violators potentially facing fines for disturbing the peace. And in central Madrid, officially an "acoustic protection zone," Mayor Ana Botella has said that enough noise complaints from residents in the medieval city center warranted a new requirement that all artists audition for a permit to play on the street (parks and public transit stations are still permit-free).