On any given summer day, it’s not uncommon to find someone singing, playing a fiddle or plucking a guitar along Traverse City’s Front Street.

Such musicians are showcasing their abilities – and their first amendment rights. Traverse City Clerk Benjamin Marentette says his office sold licenses to 59 performers in 2014 and a similar number in other years, but the practice of issuing licenses was discontinued after the city observed court cases where the musicians were found to have the right to perform without a fee or oversight.

Performers still have to obey a few rules: No amplification, no sales of CDs or other items, and no playing between 10pm and 7am (noon on Sundays). Musicians are only allowed as much equipment as one person can reasonably carry, must allow five feet clear on the walkways, and cannot play in the 100, 200 or 300 blocks of East Front Street.

One of the most popular places for performers is the sidewalk between Kilwin’s and Pangea Pizza, connecting Front Street with the parking lot to the north. Kilwin’s owner Mary Daily says she generally doesn’t mind the music, and thinks it may even help her business.

“We don’t have any problem with them,” she says, though she adds, “Some are not very good and I feel sorry for them.”

Others see things similarly. Matt Cozzens, co-owner of 7 Monks, says he thinks it adds to the vibrancy of downtown. “I enjoy seeing them. Most are really talented. My kids think it’s neat,” he says. 

For a number of years Michael Sullivan booked performers for the Traverse City Film Festival, selecting musicians to play on the street, outdoors at the Open Space, and onstage prior to the movies. “There are two kinds (of performers) I’ve seen: people working out deep emotional issues and entertainers. The world seems to respond a lot better to the entertainers,” says Sullivan.

“Our patrons love having musicians play for them while they’re waiting in line,” adds Deb Lake, TCFF executive director.

Unlike the performers approved by the Film Festival or by Downtown Traverse City for Friday Night Live events, the musicians who play elsewhere on the street are not vetted by anyone. So given the range of “artistic quality,” should the music be curated somehow? And by whom?

The Traverse City Arts Commission is already working on visual art, so publicly performed music could also fall under their domain, though those members contacted say their plates are full.

“The Arts Commission’s focus is on visual arts, not dance, theatre, or music. We’ve had people come to us with different arts issues, but we don’t want to get bogged down with anything else (besides visual art),” says Rick Korndorfer.

Amy Shamroe, another Commission member, says she’s not heard it as an issue the group should take up soon, but she’s not necessarily against the idea. “It is an issue that should be addressed and we might look at it in a broad sense as part of a City Commission/Arts Commission ad hoc being formed to discuss how to deal with spontaneous public art in general,” she says. 

The musicians themselves say they enjoy the opportunity to make music in public. “I’ve done it all over the country and Canada,” says 65-year-old guitarist and singer Jim McMurry. “Playing on the street is always a lot of fun, especially if you’re stuck somewhere and you’re broke.”

At the other end of the age spectrum, 16-year-old Kaysen Mortensen-Chown has played at the Sara Hardy Farmers Market, Friday Night Live, and on street corners. She started busking when she was in just sixth grade.

“I was pretty young and didn’t know much repertoire. Street performing helped build it,” she says. It also helped her become comfortable playing for audiences she didn’t know. “I’d just open the case and start playing,” she says.