Econ Matters
2022
The Irony of Ticket Pricing
Published:
Whenever a popular artist or band goes on tour, tickets often sell out on Ticketmaster almost as soon as they go on sale only to show up on secondary marketplaces like Stubhub, sometimes at an astronomical mark-up from their face value. While revenue from ticket sales from primary ticket sellers go toward the the artist and other stakeholders directly, on secondary markets, the additional surplus is captured by the reseller, whether it be a scalper, professional broker or fan trying to make a profit. The question is if prices prevailing on the secondary market are higher holding all else equal, then why don’t the artists set higher initial prices?
Ticketmaster Debacle
Published:
Ticketmaster made headlines over the past two weeks for mishandling ticket sales for an upcoming Taylor Swift tour but with all the griping, it was easy to lose sight of the main issues causing it. Each person I asked offered a different hypothesis of the issue tossing around phrases like monopoly and high prices.
2021
Washi Paper
Published:
This is a casual exploration of consumer psychology through my own introspection, and the item itself is irrelevant insofar as it sheds light on my own bias.