Yes, Chris B., Alanabit deserves to be paid for his work, just like anybody else who works hard to do their jobs well.

I have no doubt that some people who give tips to buskers are motivated by charity rather than music appreciation - and certainly there are some people playing instruments on the streets who are deliberately appealing to charity rather than music appreciation. But what sets a real busker apart from a panhandler with a good prop is that his or her "selling point" is the entertainment value of the performance; and in an ideal world, the person giving a tip isn't trying to help the poor but rather to say "Thanks for the music, come again another day."

Marion