In 2007, the Washington Post conducted a social experiment in which the violinist Joshua Bell pretended to be a street musician playing in a subway station during rush-hour. The famous violinist played classical pieces for 45 minutes on a Stradivarius worth 3.5 million dollars. More than 1000 people passed by, only 7 stopped to listen to him. In September 2014, Bell will repeat the experiment, this time accompanied by nine students to promote music education, his new album, and an upcoming television program.
To read the original article about the 2007 experiment conducted by the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/pearls-before-breakfast-can-one-of-the-nations-great-musicians-cut-through-the-fog-of-a-dc-rush-hour-lets-find-out/2014/09/23/8a6d46da-4331-11e4-b47c-f5889e061e5f_story.html
You can also read the article about the repeat performance in September 2014: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/joshua-bell-is-playing-in-the-metro-again-this-time-you-can-plan-to-be-there/2014/09/23/7a699e28-4282-11e4-9a15-137aa0153527_story.html
