London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced a collaboration with tech company iZettle, which will allow the city’s buskers and street performers to accept cashless donations. The ‘Busk In London’ scheme will allow performers to receive tips via contactless cards, chip and pin machines, or even wearable technology.

Khan said in a statement that the move was “vitally important” for emerging artists in the city to make a viable living from their art. He went on to emphasise the importance of busking to London’s culture, citing its necessity if the city is to “maintain its status as a global capital of music”.

The mayor also emphasised the importance of allowing new musicians to gain experience in the city,  mentioning London-based artists from “Adele to Stormzy, and The xx to Dua Lipa” that have represented the capital in the global music scene.

Acting as the public face of the scheme is full-time busker and street performer Charlotte Campbell, who explained that in just two weeks, the ability to accept cashless payments had “had a significant impact on the contributions [she’d] received”. She also explained the adapt or die nature of the street performance industry, warning that in the “cashless society we are edging towards”, failure to change could result in buskers becoming a “dying art”.

iZettle have already teamed up with Busk In London to roll out the scheme to London’s 32 boroughs, and plans to reach out to buskers elsewhere, but the project is not only limited to the street performance industry. iZettle have also announced their intention to give the technology to charities, non-profits and small businesses, allowing them to receive donations and payments alike more easily.