Permits for street performance in Berlin
December 4, 2008 4:45 AM   Subscribe

Do I need a permit to busk in Germany?

I'm planning to busk (with a friend) in Berlin. She has already busked on the streets with minimal hassle - the most she ever got was being told to pack up and move somewhere else.

Of course, it's a little cold now to busk outdoors. We're thinking of trying the subway/U-bahn stations or even on the trains. I've seen quite a few people play on the trains and they certainly don't look like the types to go through paperwork for it.

Google has given me a lot of conflicting information on this. Some say you don't need a permit, you do but nobody bothers getting one, you only need a permit if you're a band (+4 people), or that you do need a permit and risk a fine of anywhere from 40€ to 5000€ for being caught without one.

Any first- or second-hand info on this? Or a link to something official? thnx
posted by mannequito to Law & Government (2 answers total)
 
Best answer: Well, in Berlin it comes under the heading of environmental protection (noise reduction), so there is a permit (btw, the answer to all questions with the structure "Do I need a permit to [....] in Germany?" is "Yes.").

Here is a government page about it in German, which basically says that if you want to play musical instruments you need a permit, there will be fees for obtaining the permit (mysteriously unelaborated on), and here's a list of places you can get the permit.

This is my interpretation of the situation as a Berliner (needless to say I am not your lawyer, a native speaker of German, or a Berlin government employee). As I understand it, this Genehmigung (permit) potentially covers everything from playing an unamplified flute on public transport in the afternoon to running an open-air DJ set with massive amplification in a park at midnight, so I would imagine that the giant fines are there for the latter case. The police in Berlin are the most reasonable big city police I've ever seen (although this is probably administered by the Ordungsamt, who are often jerks). IMHO, A busker getting a €5000 fine in Berlin is the kind of thing that would result in every left-leaning magazine and newspaper devoting major column space to urging people to come and see the violence inherent in the system, so I'm kind of assuming it hasn't happened and that it's just a brickbat to deal with crazy amplified noise situations. If it was me, I'd assume it's like riding the subway without a ticket here: lots of the time you'll get away with it, you'll probably get fined eventually but it probably won't be a crazy fine, and it's a matter of luck whether you'll have saved money in the long run or not.

That said, the permit sounds like it is very inexpensive so maybe it's silly not to get it if they are willing to permit you for a spread of time in advance. The city is broke and there are all kinds of folks trying to get by here, so it isn't necessarily the worst thing you could do to kick in a little bit of your profits in exchange for the right to tell the Ordungsamt goons to get lost 'cause you're legal.
posted by Your Time Machine Sucks at 6:12 AM on December 4, 2008


What YTMS said jives with what I have heard as well. I think every city is different when it comes to requirements and inforcement. Technically permits are required in Lüneburg, where I live, but I know musicians that have performed without them and didn't have any problems. Call the Ordnungsamt just to be safe. I don't know about Berlin, but here the permit may also specify the time and place where you are allowed to play.

If you are smart about it, i.e don't play in a narrow street, on private property and don't impede pedestrian traffic, you shouldn't get hassled too much. Don't cause Unordnung.

Actually I read about this in our local Käseblatt: If you don't have a permit, don't encroach on the territory of a musician that does have a permit and has already staked out his corner. He'll make trouble and get the cops to clear you out.
posted by chillmost at 6:33 AM on December 4, 2008


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