Wow! There is some great stuff here.

I think an important point was hit on in this post. The hat is not just for you, it is for your audience. If I see someone who does a great show, I want to give them something for it. In fact if you entertain me for 1/2 an hour, then I would almost consider it my right to pay you!

If we refuse payment, or do not offer a means for people to thank us (usually via a donation) then we can confuse the audience. Those of us that perform for free, for the enjoyment etc should remember that for some, this is how they put bread on their tables. If we discourage payment, then we are doing our fellow magicians harm as the specs will not know what to expect the next time they see a street magician.

Chris--

Yes! Those two aspects (dissing the spec's and dissing other performers) were exactly why I asked the question in the first place.

Aside from the brief journey into "active vs. passive" busking, the consensus seems to be that one SHOULD consider those elements, and, at the very least, provide an opportunity for tips, even if it's completely passive. I figured as much, based solely on my experience as a spec...but wanted to get some pro's opinions.

As usual, they've given us all a LOT more to think about than the original question! (that's a GOOD thing, btw...)