Buskers can expect a blow to the hip pocket, or guitar case, from July, when Wollongong City Council proposes to increase daily busking fees by 100 per cent.
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In a tough move that proves every revenue dollar counts, council plans to slug buskers $10 a day (up from $5 now) for the privilege of performing in public spaces.
Street artists and traders will be similarly hit with a 67 per cent fee rise and will pay $20 (up from $12) from July, under the council's proposed 2014-2015 budget.
Wollongong retiree Tony Hansen, who can be found strumming a tune in Crown Street Mall some Fridays, said buskers would be hit hard by the fee increase.
"People are pretty reluctant to give much money at all, most people only put in really small change and it takes a while to build it up," Mr Hansen said.
"If I'm going [busk] four days a week, then I've got to pay $40, when some days I might only get $30 or $20.
"I feel like [the fee rise] is a deterrent for buskers."
The 65-year-old, who enjoys entertaining crowds with classics such as Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl or Elvis Presley's All Shook Up, said he only pays $12 for a three-month licence in Sydney.
He worried that the cost of busking would stop children or emerging artists from gaining experience playing live.
"Busking is a forum to gain confidence and gain skills in front of people, trying new songs and new things," Mr Hansen said.
"If young kids are going to have to pay $10 when they might only get $15 or $20 in their case, it's a deterrent for them."
The busking fee increase comes as the council tries to increase revenue and tighten the purse strings in a bid to find money to prop up the city's ailing infrastructure and plug a $21 million gap in its budget.
The council plans to take a number of measures to meet revenue targets, including installing additional metered parking and increasing fees for heated swimming pools, professional trainers and the use of sporting fields.
