Tamworth Country Music Festival: Just 150 buskers signed up for 50th festival despite brand new incentives

Tamworth Country Music Festival manager Barry Harley said they expect between 50 and 100 additional signups as the event draws closer, but it's still only average.

"The numbers of advanced bookings for busking is similar to previous years," he said.

"When there's positive news at a border there's an increase in numbers. When there's negative news there's a slight decrease. On balance it's probably looking to be similar to recent years.

"I think the reality that we've got to apply this year, is yes it's a big festival and under normal circumstances it would stand to reason that it would be probably be more numbers. But given the COVID and the borders issues, I think if we can maintain status quo we're probably doing extremely well."

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The average turnout is in stark contrast to other indicators that the historic milestone event will be among the biggest community events since the pandemic kicked off.

Moteliers report that every bed in Tamworth is booked out for the entire festival, suggesting attendance numbers will be strong.

But the busker population isn't set to approach the old days, when as many as 300 singers queued up for a chance to be noticed.

Many of the A-list acts festival-goers will travel to see started their careers as mere buskers on Peel Street, including international superstar Keith Urban, festival favourite Troy Cassar-Daly and Adam Harvey.

Mr Harley said festival organisers have developed a new incentive for buskers, part of the ordinary battle of the buskers on Sunday, January 23.

"We'll probably enhance the competition side of it a little bit more," he said.

"Judgement of the top ten is made during the week and then on Sunday the 23rd there is a battle of the buskers down at the park, but because it's right at the tail end of the last day and the evening, it tends to go a little bit unnoticed," he said.

"But there's several thousand dollars of prize money offered. This year we've added some paid gigs for the following year.

"The first three place-getters will actually get guaranteed paid gigs for the following year. That promotes them from their busking character up to that emerging artist, so the stepping stones occur."

About half the busking population are from NSW, and half are newcomers in an average festival, Mr Harley said.

It's likely that buskers will trend slightly more local this year due to border restrictions, but otherwise is shaping up to be relatively unchanged from the norm, he said.

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