Each week, TODAY’s long-running Big Read series delves into trends and issues that matter. This week, we look at the growth of Singapore’s busking scene and the challenges of the trade. This is a shortened version of the full feature, which can be found here.

SINGAPORE — More than two decades after a scheme was introduced in 1997 to allow performers to add more colour to the streets, Singapore’s busking scene has grown from strength to strength.

Young performers such as Mr Firdaus Osman, 25, and Mr Jonathan Goh, 23, find it worth their while to make busking their livelihood, despite the challenges they face.

Mr Firdaus, who goes by the moniker “Fyrdauz Macbeth”, spends at least three hours of an evening serenading passers-by with love songs in front of the Wisma Atria shopping mall on Orchard Road.

“You cannot expect a steady income out of busking because the amount you get for the day depends on a lot of things — the weather, the time of the month, whether people had gotten their bonuses,” said Mr Firdaus, who busks at least three times a week and gets about S$100 per session.

Mr Goh, a full-time busker and one half of circus act duo The Annoying Brothers, said that based on the weather, the quality of the act and location, circus acts such as theirs can typically earn up to S$300 a session.

There are currently about 300 “endorsed” performers — those who have been issued with a busking card by the National Arts Council (NAC) — and 81 designated locations for them to showcase their acts.

Under the busking scheme, “endorsed” buskers occupy the allocated spots on a first-come-first-served-basis. Each busker — after passing an audition before a panel of NAC judges — is given five designated locations.

But the growth of busking here has also resulted in greater competition for space, especially for the popular and more lucrative spots — an issue recently highlighted by Nee Soon GRC Member of Parliament Louis Ng in Parliament. 

To make busking more accessible and fairer for everyone, Mr Ng made several suggestions, such as the use of balloting for keenly contested sites, and an application to help buskers — and audiences — keep track of popular performance spots.

In some busking hotspots along Orchard Road and Clarke Quay, performers have been known to reserve space at noon and use the space only several hours later. 

“They will come to ‘chope’ a spot by putting all of their equipment there. Then they’ll go missing and only come back to play in the evening,” said Mr Firdaus, who has seen arguments and fights break out among buskers over the issue. 

Mr Goh said that competition among the buskers also intensifies when they are located not too far apart from each other — often causing them to try and drown each other’s music or singing.

“Space is an issue, some buskers feel like they should be at least 50m apart while some buskers believes that 10m is fine. There are no proper guidelines to follow,” he added.

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POSSIBLE SOLUTION 

Mr Ng had proposed that the ballot system be trialled in hotspots such as in Clarke Quay and in front of Ngee Ann City shopping centre. 

He also suggested reserving specific sites for street performers who require more space such as circus acts.

Mr Goh, for one, welcomes the proposal to allow reservation of sites for certain performances. As a circle act — where audience members will create a circle around performers — The Annoying Brothers require the audience to stay throughout the show, which usually takes about 15 to 45 minutes.

 “We need a space that is big enough to ensure the safety of the audience and passers-by. We also require a street that has really high foot traffic because we need a huge audience base to start our show,” said Mr Goh.

However, some buskers are less receptive to the proposed balloting system, as they prefer more spontaneity — which is partly why they are attracted to busking in the first place. 

A street guitarist, who only wanted to be known as Mr Eddie, felt that it would involve “too much work” for him.

“It’s very troublesome to go through all this trouble to ballot,” he said. “The way I look at it, if you know a spot is taken, just move to the next one. If we respect each other as artists and performers, there won’t be a problem.” 

Veteran busker Roy Payamal added: “We busk because we are spontaneous people. We just go out there and show people what we are made of. But now if we have to do so many things just to busk, I think we will lose our essence.”

To address these concerns, Mr Ng said the authorities could look into making the balloting system as straightforward as possible so that it will not be an “administrative burden” to the buskers.

THE BUSKING EVOLUTION 

Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, told Parliament last week that the number of younger performers has more than doubled since 2008. Out of the 300 “endorsed” buskers currently, half are below the age of 35. 

While some sections of the public still regard buskers as beggars, Mr Goh said the demographic of buskers has changed a lot because the trade is not frowned upon among the younger generation.

“There are more younger people on the streets because we all want to showcase the talents we have, and we don’t care what anyone else thinks,” he added.

YOUNG ONES TAKING THE LEAD 

Official efforts aside, some of the younger members of the community are taking the lead themselves to take busking here to the next level. 

Mr Firdaus, Mr Teo, Mr Goh, along with two others, are in the process of forming a busking association, which hopes to develop a code of practice for the busking community. 

Mr Firdaus said: “Last time, when we face problems, you either call the police or the NAC and they will give you a short-term solution. Now we are just hoping to make a change with this association.”

“Ultimately, all of us just want to perform and have a good time,” he added.

Mr Ong hopes that buskers here realise that conflict among themselves — such as openly fighting for space or hogging a popular spot — is not only tarnishing the image of the community as a whole, but, perhaps more importantly, threatening their livelihood. 

As the younger buskers seek to bring about improvements for the whole community, older ones like Mr Payamal are happy to go along with the changes — so long as they can be left alone.

“They can make whatever changes they want to make. As long as I still get to perform and my show can still go on, I’m good,” he said.