But on the streets of Leeds on Wednesday, busker Katie Gittins described a recent incident in which her takings were stolen.
“He literally took everything I’d made that day and I’d only made like 15 quid,” she said.
“I was pretty hungry at the time and I was trying to get the money together for a gas and electric bill.
“When it is most of your income, it does weigh on you a hell of a lot more. Buskers like Jason have the luxury of having income from another place.”
Ms Gittins has been busking for about three years, mostly in Leeds, but also in Leicester, Wakefield, Bradford, Newcastle, Sheffield and Richmond.
While we’re talking a busker approaches Ms Gittins to warn her that another performer has had their sound equipment stolen.
“In the last couple of months, that’s the second load of someone’s musical equipment that’s been stolen,” she said.
“This whole week has just felt weird. I don’t know if that’s the result of all the tensions that fizzled over during the heatwave.
“But to me, the altercation I saw that Jason caught on video. Honestly, that looks like a regular Saturday night.”
She blames the increasing difficulty of busking on streaming and lack of music education in school.
“Withdrawing the funding from the arts has meant young children are not introduced to music or taught to respect it,” she said.
“The modern streaming system means everybody can just download music for free.
“A lot of my friends are independent artists. It just seems like they’re not getting anything back for the effort they’re putting in and it’s not just them.”
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said any safety concerns should be reported to the police.
“We are proud to support busking as a vibrant part of our city’s culture,” they said.
“Keeping people safe, and ensuring they feel welcome in the city, is a priority for us and our Safer Leeds team works in partnership with other organisations across the city, including emergency services, to achieve this.”