Clearly amongst the least important members of a capitalist society are the [ahem] musicians. For better or worse there are not nearly enough jobs in the market to support the cultivation of music by the majority of musicians. On second thought that is for worse or worse. It takes great resilience and/or stupidity to continue the musical journey when the prospects of making a living from music are none to none. So often these sometimes boneheaded efforts go unnoticed. Literally unnoticed by anybody.
The good news: You can make a difference! Whether it is at your local coffeehouse, subway station, bus stop, pub, town-square and anywhere else you might find a fledgling musician, consider helping them out.
THIS IS THE KEY! 
You don’t have to give them money to help… Yeah, of course they’re broke and if you can help them with some coin, great. However, this help is in regards to the increasingly foreign concept of human interaction. Even hitting them off with a little eye contact and acknowledgment of their existence might go a long way. Don’t let the sight of an acoustic guitar case that lies open with a single dollar bill and a hand full of coins keep you from enjoying the music this person obviously cares deeply about. Show them some love! If you’re feeling the music, then stop holding out and let them know. A little wink or a head nod would do the trick. Even better, a funky get-down gyration of the body might make their day, week, month or year. You never know how precious your honest appreciation of their musical efforts could be. So give it up; and big up a local musician.
Hate Loss™ Reminder – On the road to hate loss it is vital to remember that bigging up a local musician is 100% hate-proof.
All I can say is that these people have PASSION. You have to have passion to risk not having a stable financial life. Passion is in the midst of their melodies so they are willing to do whatever as long as they can play.