The London Underground is auditioning wannabe buskers

05 August 2015, 11:57 | Written by Laurence Day

(News)

(Amy Winehouse) (Ed Sheeran)

Buskers looking to perform in London Underground stations are being asked to audition publicly - it's the first time ever that the process has been conducted in this way.

It's estimated that over 3.5 million people go through the network each day - a busking space is obviously a coveted gig for many, even more so at stations where the likelihood of scouts passing by might have their ears caught. The likes of Amy Winehouse and Ed Sheeran both worked the streets as buskers at one point.

The BBC report that "thousands" of would-be buskers had applied for only 75 licenses (of four years in length) - of those that applied, 240 were invited to audition in front of a panel of judges.

Busking at Tube stations provides over 100,000 hours of live music a year. There are currently 230 registered buskers that perform on 39 pitches across the network.

For more information, and interviews with hopefuls, visit the BBC website.