Dan R. reminded me of the experiment a while back that the Washington Post arranged where world famous violinist Joshua Bell played his Stradivarius next to a subway escalator at rush hour in DC http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html .
My thoughts: Good one, Dan. Yes, I remember that article. I thought how in some ways, “quality” in the arts really is a social construct, depending to some extent on validation by others in the form of nice venues, favorable reviews, advance publicity, and simply giving ourselves permission to stop and observe and support what we like, rather than simply charging past to the subway, or thinking it’s somehow wasteful or a sign of weakness to give a busker a dollar rather than saving it for ourselves. Motivation to open up to artists that we like, whether they are selling tickets or simply opening an instrument case on the subway platform.
When was the last time that you supported an artist when Visa wasn’t a payment option? Myself, I can’t remember.
I’ve always got a dollar or two burning a hole in my pocket. Gainesville has a pretty diverse set of acts that play in restaurants around town. If I like the music I usually tip. However, I guess you could say the restaurant host is validating the artists by bringing them in to play for customers. There’s a guy who plays the trumpet in a low level passageway at O’hare airport- I’ve heard him on and off for years (i THINK it’s the same guy) but I’ve never tipped him. Shame on me!