a bit unfair to do this during rush hour I think -
"well there was this amazing violin player in the subway and I just had to stop" mightnt impress the boss
and if he wasnt so famous, 34$ for 45 minutes doesnt seem
too bad a haul

but the worst must be people just ignoring you, walking by as if you dont exist when you're playing your heart out.
I see it here often - I love live music and the music on the street (no subway here ;-) would have to be fairly bad for me to ignore it.
In fairness, in some towns (countries?) buskers are more appreciated
but what am I missing, hmmm too much I'm afraid ... have to go think about that one methinks