Re:Disney Tests Pricing Power at Theme Parks
by icu on Friday June 22, 2018 @10:32AM
(#17374206)
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.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:Disney Tests Pricing Power at Theme Parks
by jdietrich on Friday June 22, 2018 @11:32AM
(#17374731)
>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.
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.