You need to audition for a permit in London, and in Australia, you can't perform in the streets unless you have a website.
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The City of London takes busking so seriously that they have tight quality control measures for street performers. All buskers in the Tube or Convent Garden are required to audition for a busking permit. It's a good deal if you're accepted: 3.5 million people use the Tube every day, and the city provides a branded performance area to encourage more tipping.
To busk in Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall you must be classified as a professional busker, which requires you to have a YouTube or Facebook account, or a personal website, as well as 30 minutes of material. And that's just to apply! If your application passes the first stage, you'll get an opportunity to audition your performance and be judged in "proficiency, uniqueness, professionalism." Don't worry though, they always keep at least one busker on the panel. Finish everything off with some safety classes and you'll be on the Mall in no time.
Chicago might be the most anti-busking city in America. Not only do they require a permit for every single public performance, but there's an outright ban in the busiest parts of town. The no-busk zone includes the Magnificent Mile, and pretty much every park and notable public space.
