I consider the term 'begging' to mean asking for money and offering nothing in return. I think to answer the question as to whether busking is a form of begging we need to distinguish between two types of 'busker' - there are the tramps/homeless/whoever who have got hold of a penny whistle or a guitar and sit there producing random notes from the instrument and who probably normally just beg without an instrument and are trying to vary their techniques, and there are musicians, people who have musical ability and have made the effort to work out a repertoire of quality music that can really be enjoyed by an audience and who also pay attention to their audience through their presentation and saying thank you for contributions whenever possible. It doesn't take much brain power to distingush one from the other and to tell a beggar from a performer.

I have busked a lot over the past couple of years, and as a student, earning money is one of the main incentives for me, but so is the enjoyment, you get to interact with people, you're out in the fresh air (great when the weather's good, anyway) and you're out there doing what you enjoy, and I would much prefer to do that than to work exhausting 8 hour shifts in a bar for less than the national minimum wage (being under 22 years old), which is my only credible alternative way of earning at the moment. We have also got quite a few gigs out of it from people who heard us and liked our music. It's a good feeling when you say thank you to people when they put some coins in the case and they say thank you to you for the music they've enjoyed listening to and that has cheered them up or made their shopping trip more enjoyable. We always make sure never to play to 'captive audiences' wherever possible, e.g. people sitting outside cafes, people in queues or near to shops where the shop assistants would be able to hear us. If people want to listen, they can do, if they don't want to, they can carry on. We don't go up to people and ask them for money, we play our music and if people want to contribute, they can do, but we never make people feel pressured to do so, therefore I do not consider busking to be begging. There are people out there who also consider Big Issue (homeless magazine) sellers to be beggers, although they too are not asking for something for nothing, they are trying to earn money by selling a product.

I went to Cologne yesterday and heard some fantastic buskers outside the cathedral, there were 3 accordians and a contrabass balalaika, they were playing organ pieces and each of them took a part and together they made a great sound. I tend to have high standards when it comes to music, being a player myself, but I stood and listened to these guys for about 10 minutes and then gave them some money as I really enjoyed their music, they were obviously talented musicians and they certainly made my day more eventful and added to the atmosphere of the place. I certainly would not like to think that these people and other performers like them were considered to be of the same level as the people who stop you in town and ask you to give them money for no good reason.