That'a a good post Stringsinger.

There's a good deal of illogical stuff posted on this thread and you have successfully homed in on the all important subjectivity of it all.

For example, just because someone is deliberately setting out to entertain me does not mean that I would be entertained by them. And vice versa, I could be propping up the corner of a bar and be hugely entertained by a couple of folk in the corner playing tunes just for themselves.

And whether any renumeration changes hands in either of these cases is utterly irrelevant.

However, there is another level of mere politeness that one should adhere to. For example, if I'd payed to go to a gig and I was sat right at the front, whether I was being entertained or not, I'd clap after each song (though maybe not so vociferously if I thought they stank). And I certainly wouldn't clap for the couple of folk in the corner playing tunes just for themselves. That would be very rude indeed.