I did most of my busking in the '80s in a covered in Market Place. I was paid $30 and expected to open my case for the rest. It was usually for three hours over the lunchtime and often I'd come away with quite substantial amounts of cash. It was the only job I had then because I was a solo mother of three small children. It contributed excellently to the house-keeping budget. Occasionally some bloke would put in $20 and expect me to go out to dinner with him afterwards so having children to go home to was the perfect excuse not to.
Here in Auckland we also had an old guy who played his guitar open, no chords and mumbled his songs. Someone did a television programme about him and he became quite the celebrity. He tidied himself up but the music was always the same. We like that sort of thing here in NZ. It is part of our down-under eccentricity.
There are a lot of Asians and Polynesians here so our street music is quite eclectic. I have noticed of late that some areas where people used to busk have been cleared out. I suspect this is the corporate influence. I've always thought Mall would be great for buskers but I never see any in them. A pity really.