When I lived in NYC and commuted to Mahnhattan from Staten Island, there was a 'busker' (and I use that term loosel) who could neither sing nor play. He would set up near large groups on the SI Ferry and begin to warble out of tune until somebody paid him at least $5 to go away.   I'd say he made at least $25 a trip in the AM. Eventually, people stopped paying him to shut up and would just get up and move en masse to another section of the Ferry. I wonder what ever happened to him? He had a nice racket going - kinda like the 'Viet Nam vets' on the subway who will shake a cup at you and go on about their trouble forever unless you give them some money.

There was also a guy on the SI Ferry who peddled bad shoe shines for $2-$3 who would make his rounds shouting "CHINE! CHINE! CHOO-CHINE!" until somebody couldn't stand it anymore and would pay for a 'Chine' just to make him stop yelling. Unfortunately, he'd make quite a mess of your shoes.

The "Choo-Chine' guy and the awful 'busker' had hostage audiences so maybe they don't qualify as performers. I always considered them terrorists. Real Buskers I like.