Tunnel vision: a grateful busker on the Underground in February, 2012
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Michael Howie18 October 2013
Buskers in Madrid will have to undergo X Factor-style auditions before they can perform.
City Hall officials in the Spanish capital have drawn up guidelines to improve the standard of street musicians desperate to make a living.
Hopeful performers will have to be approved by a panel of three judges to obtain a free licence valid for a year during auditions next month.
“We will insist on a minimum standard of quality to avoid annoying practices,” said David Erguido, a Madrid councillor.
But even successful applicants will be banned from playing during the siesta from 3pm to 5pm.
