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As the economic stratification of society accelerates, you will see more and more of this. The ability to charge a price that only a small fraction of the pote

As the economic stratification of society accelerates, you will see more and more of this. The ability to charge a price that only a small fraction of the potential market will pay will deliver outsized profits as long as you can charge more, proportionally, than you lose in market share. We are rapidly remaking America as a place where all segments of culture and entertainment operate for the rich and merely wealthy.

greedo 8y ago
Andy Warhol famously spoke about Coke: "What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it." It's sad to see that something as quintessentially American as Disney is going the opposite way.
- icu 8y ago
  Thanks for the quote! However I think it's more about Coke being a consumable and arguably a commodity... and not entertainment. I'm pretty sure there will always be people priced out of premium entertainment experiences precisely because you cannot bottle it up.
  - jdietrich 8y ago
    >Thanks for the quote! However I think it's more about Coke being a consumable and arguably a commodity... and not entertainment. America commoditised entertainment through technology. The radio and the gramophone allowed a farmer in rural Maine to listen to the Metropolitan Opera in their own home. Movie theaters brought the greatest actors in America to every small town. The egalitarian nature of popular culture stands as one of the greatest defences of consumer capitalism. A reversal of that trend points to a fundamental and worrying change in society.
    - ghaff 8y ago
      The commoditization you describe though is for entertainment forms that can be incrementally replicated at little to no cost. In that regard, entertainment is more commoditized than ever with things like streaming music and video services. Arguably, there's more VIP-style pricing discrimination than there used to be for in-person entertainment. It's probably easier with online booking. But good concert seats or opera tickets were never particularly cheap.
      - icu 8y ago
        Exactly the point I was trying to make but I did not articulate it as well as you have, thanks! I would say 'premium' entertainment cannot be displaced by time and space.
Matticus_Rex 8y ago
This isn't a situation where poor people are losing out because rich people are getting something extra; it's a situation where resources that would normally go unused are being used more efficiently, and rich people are paying money for it that largely goes not to Scrooge McDuck, but countless employees at Disney and in related work.
spking 8y ago
Two exits down the freeway from Disneyland is Knott's Berry Farm. You can bring your family of 4 there for under $200. The experience will not be as polished or "magical" as Disneyland, but it still has many attractions and entertainment options. Drive another hour and you can take your family to Six Flags Magic Mountain, or if you prefer to Universal Studios Hollywood. The experience at these parks will be even less polished than Knott's, but your kids will still probably have a great time. The beauty of the free market is that even though not everyone can easily afford a premium experience, other companies are more than happy to compete for your entertainment dollars.
drstewart 8y ago
What's your solution to overcrowding, exactly? Let's say America is remade in the image you have in mind with "all segments of culture and entertainment operating for everyone". Great in theory. Now you have 100,000 people trying to get into a park that holds 5,000. What's your solution?
scarface74 8y ago
And the most valuable company in the world does exactly this —- the average selling price of an iPhone is three times hire than the ASP of an Android phone...

greedo 8y ago

Andy Warhol famously spoke about Coke: "What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it." It's sad to see that something as quintessentially American as Disney is going the opposite way.

icu 8y ago
Thanks for the quote! However I think it's more about Coke being a consumable and arguably a commodity... and not entertainment. I'm pretty sure there will always be people priced out of premium entertainment experiences precisely because you cannot bottle it up.
- jdietrich 8y ago
  >Thanks for the quote! However I think it's more about Coke being a consumable and arguably a commodity... and not entertainment. America commoditised entertainment through technology. The radio and the gramophone allowed a farmer in rural Maine to listen to the Metropolitan Opera in their own home. Movie theaters brought the greatest actors in America to every small town. The egalitarian nature of popular culture stands as one of the greatest defences of consumer capitalism. A reversal of that trend points to a fundamental and worrying change in society.
  - ghaff 8y ago
    The commoditization you describe though is for entertainment forms that can be incrementally replicated at little to no cost. In that regard, entertainment is more commoditized than ever with things like streaming music and video services. Arguably, there's more VIP-style pricing discrimination than there used to be for in-person entertainment. It's probably easier with online booking. But good concert seats or opera tickets were never particularly cheap.
    - icu 8y ago
      Exactly the point I was trying to make but I did not articulate it as well as you have, thanks! I would say 'premium' entertainment cannot be displaced by time and space.

Matticus_Rex 8y ago

This isn't a situation where poor people are losing out because rich people are getting something extra; it's a situation where resources that would normally go unused are being used more efficiently, and rich people are paying money for it that largely goes not to Scrooge McDuck, but countless employees at Disney and in related work.

spking 8y ago

Two exits down the freeway from Disneyland is Knott's Berry Farm. You can bring your family of 4 there for under $200. The experience will not be as polished or "magical" as Disneyland, but it still has many attractions and entertainment options. Drive another hour and you can take your family to Six Flags Magic Mountain, or if you prefer to Universal Studios Hollywood. The experience at these parks will be even less polished than Knott's, but your kids will still probably have a great time. The beauty of the free market is that even though not everyone can easily afford a premium experience, other companies are more than happy to compete for your entertainment dollars.

drstewart 8y ago

What's your solution to overcrowding, exactly? Let's say America is remade in the image you have in mind with "all segments of culture and entertainment operating for everyone". Great in theory. Now you have 100,000 people trying to get into a park that holds 5,000. What's your solution?

scarface74 8y ago

And the most valuable company in the world does exactly this —- the average selling price of an iPhone is three times hire than the ASP of an Android phone...