Fewer people are carrying cash these days, which doesn't bode so well for buskers who rely on spare change.
London is rolling out a system which allows people to pay the city's street performers with contactless cards, in what is claimed to be a world first.
SEE ALSO:Soon you may be able to unlock your front door with your iPhoneBusk In London, an organisation representing street performers, has partnered on the project with London mayor Sadiq Khan and Swedish payments company iZettle, the latter of which was acquired by PayPal earlier this month.
"Now, more Londoners will be able to show their support to the capital's brilliant, talented street performers," Khan said, according to the BBC.
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The scheme launched on Sunday following a trial of the technology among a select group of buskers.
Charlotte Campbell, a busker who was part of the trial, told the BBC the tech "had a significant impact on contributions" over two weeks.
"More people than ever tap-to-donate whilst I sing, and often, when one person does, another follows," she added.
Street performers will need a smartphone or a tablet, and will have to connect a card reader to it so they can receive payments. No details are available yet on whether it'll cost buskers to hire out these card readers, if there are any fees associated with use, and exactly how the donor or busker will set the donation amount — most likely within an app.
When it comes to contactless payments, the UK hasn't been shy when it comes to adoption. For years, commuters have been able to use a contactless bank card to pay for train or bus rides, and more recently churchgoers have been able to do the same with donations.
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