原文標(biāo)題：
Schumpeter
The other gig economy
熊彼特
另一種零工經(jīng)濟(jì)

What America can learn from Britain about the other gig economy
美國能從英國的零工經(jīng)濟(jì)中學(xué)到什么

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IN AMERICA, IT has been a disillusioning few weeks for music fans.
近幾周的美國，許多歌迷的理想幻滅了。

Though her “Swifties” are far too loyal to blame her, Taylor Swift helped botch the sale of a 52-night stadium tour by trying to sell more concert tickets in one go than had ever been done before.

泰勒·斯威夫特想一口氣創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄大賣巡回演唱會的門票，但她搞砸了。然而她的粉絲們太為她著迷，不會去怪她。

Bruce Springsteen, acknowledging that he had upset fans by selling tickets at prices as high as $5,000, offered no remorse. “If there’s any complaints on the way out, you can have your money back,” he gruffly told Rolling Stone.
布魯斯·斯普林斯汀承認(rèn)，他以高達(dá)5000美元的價格出售門票，讓粉絲們感到不安，但他并不后悔。他粗暴地告訴《滾石》雜志：“如果你在回去的路上有任何不滿，可以退款。”

Bob Dylan, who sold 900 “hand-signed” copies of his new book for $599 apiece, was forced to admit that he used a writing machine for the signature instead.
鮑勃·迪倫以每本599美元的價格賣出了900本“親筆簽名”的新書，后來被迫承認(rèn)自己用的是機(jī)器簽名。

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Ms S. is unusual. Most frustrated concertgoers direct their ire not at the stars but at Ticketmaster, America’s dominant ticketing system, and the promotional colossus it merged with 12 years ago, Live Nation Entertainment.
霉霉與眾不同。大多數(shù)沮喪的歌迷并不會對明星不滿，而是對美國票務(wù)系統(tǒng)Ticketmaster和宣傳巨頭Live Nation娛樂發(fā)火。后兩者在12年前合并。

In October, weeks before Ticketmaster’s systems crashed while millions of Ms Swift’s fans were buying tickets, consumer groups had launched a campaign called “Break Up Ticketmaster”, accusing it and Live Nation of operating a monopoly to “rip off” music fans.
10月，數(shù)百萬霉霉的粉絲正在買票，幾周后，Ticketmaster購票系統(tǒng)崩潰。消費(fèi)者團(tuán)體發(fā)起了一項(xiàng)名為“打倒Ticketmaster”的活動，指控Ticketmaster和LiveNation的壟斷對歌迷構(gòu)成“敲詐”行為。

Reportedly, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is revisiting the merger, first cleared in 2010, on antitrust grounds. Live Nation denies that it is anticompetitive.
據(jù)報道，司法部正以反壟斷為由重新討論2010年首次通過的合并案。LiveNation否認(rèn)了那次合并案具體反競爭性質(zhì)。

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Amid the genuine angst overhigh-priced tickets,and the overhyped politicisation of the matter, the brouhaha misses two points.
由于歌迷對高價門票的真實(shí)焦慮，加上此事的過度政治化，這場沸沸揚(yáng)揚(yáng)的喧鬧錯過了兩點(diǎn)信息。

The first is that it is mostly the artists, not Ticketmaster, who set the cost of the tickets. They also give the green light to the use of dynamic prices, like those used for airline seats, that allows Ticketmaster to charge more when demand outstrips supply.
第一點(diǎn)：大多數(shù)門票價不是由Ticketmaster定的，而是由藝術(shù)家們定的。藝術(shù)家們還批準(zhǔn)了動態(tài)價格機(jī)制，就像航空座位的動態(tài)價格，當(dāng)需求大于供應(yīng)時，Ticketmaster的門票價格會上漲。

The second is that a big part of the price inflation comes from secondary resellers (ie, scalpers or touts) who use bots and other means to acquire batches of tickets.
第二點(diǎn)：價格上漲很大一部分原因是由于二級轉(zhuǎn)售商（即黃?；蚱必溩樱?，他們使用機(jī)器人和其他手段獲取一批門票。

In this transatlantic divide lie some interesting lessons about the “gigenomics” of live entertainment.
在這場跨大西洋的現(xiàn)場娛樂的“零工經(jīng)濟(jì)”差異中，有一些有趣的經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

[Paragraph4]
To begin with, look at the contrasting antitrust targets.
首先，看看差異很大的反壟斷目標(biāo)。

In America, the DOJ is almost exclusively focused on Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
在美國，司法部幾乎只盯著Live Nation和Ticketmaster。

But its critics want a bigger crackdown, accusing the conglomerate not just of bullying venues but of using its dominance to drive prices higher.
但批評人士希望進(jìn)行更大的打擊，他們指控該集團(tuán)不僅欺負(fù)場館，還利用其優(yōu)勢推高價格。

[Paragraph5]
In contrast, Britain’s competition authorities waved through the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger without conditions 12 years ago but have been notably warier when it comes to resellers.
相比之下，英國的競爭委員會在12年前無條件地通過了Live Nation Ticketmaster合并案，但在涉及轉(zhuǎn)售商時卻格外謹(jǐn)慎。

Its promotion of paperless ticketing and actions to verify a buyer’s identity were also welcomed.
英國還歡迎推廣無紙門售和實(shí)名制購票。

[Paragraph 6]
That points to a second difference, concerning the nature of tickets themselves.
這指出了第二個區(qū)別，即門票本身的性質(zhì)。

In America, critics of Ticketmaster argue that a ticket confers ownership, meaning it should be possible to buy and sell it as freely as a second-hand car.
在美國，Ticketmaster的評論者認(rèn)為，車票賦予了所有權(quán)，這意味著它應(yīng)該可以像二手車一樣自由地買賣。

They note that people purchase tickets months before a concert and should be able to resell them to whom and at whatever price they want.
他們注意到，有人會在演唱會前幾個月購買門票，預(yù)計能夠以他們想要的價格轉(zhuǎn)售給其他人。

They dislike things that impede that, such as paperless tickets.
這些人不喜歡阻礙交易的東西，如無紙門票。

[Paragraph7]

Those on the other side of that argument treat tickets more like a licence to visit an event, and view limits on transferability as a healthy way to impede touts.

另一方觀點(diǎn)是將門票視為參觀活動的許可證，并將限制轉(zhuǎn)讓性質(zhì)視為一種打擊票販子的健康方式。

Pearl Jam, a Seattle rock band that 28 years ago butted heads with Ticketmaster over antitrust concerns, now treats the ticketing site as an ally, using its non-transferable, mobile-only ticketing services to ensure it keeps prices low and scalpers at bay.

28年前，西雅圖的“珍珠果醬”搖滾樂隊(duì)曾因反壟斷問題與Ticketmaster針鋒相對，現(xiàn)在為了打擊黃牛，確保歌迷們能買到低價門票，該樂隊(duì)將Ticketmaster視為盟友，使用其不可轉(zhuǎn)讓、僅限流通的票務(wù)服務(wù)。

[Paragraph8]

Pearl Jam is a rare American band that has sought to rein in ticket price.

“珍珠果醬”是一支罕見的美國樂隊(duì)，想辦法抑制門票價格的上漲。

Most are much less altruistic, for reasons that are easy to understand.

大多數(shù)音樂人沒有那么無私，原因也很容易理解。

Until the covid-19 pandemic stopped live events, bands had for years been making more money from touring than from recording. Now that tours are back on, they have lost income to recuperate.

在新冠停止現(xiàn)場活動之前，樂隊(duì)多年來一直靠巡回演出賺錢，而不是靠賣唱片賺錢。現(xiàn)在巡演回歸，是時候挽回?fù)p失啦。

After the pandemic, concertgoers appear particularly keen to splash out on shows, the bigger the better.

新冠之后，歌迷們似乎特別熱衷于在現(xiàn)場節(jié)目上花錢，越多越好。

And the competition between megastars to stage the most Instagrammable event is so intense that they invest fortunes to produce a spectacle.
為了舉辦最受Instagram歡迎的活動，巨星們之間的競爭也異常激烈，以致于他們投入巨資來打造一場壯觀的現(xiàn)場演出。

[Paragraph 9]
Only the strong survive?

只有強(qiáng)者才能生存

In other words, for all their folksy or countercultural veneer, superstars tend to be capitalists.

換言之，盡管超級明星有著民俗氣息或非主流文化的外表，但他們也是資本家。

Like Live Nation, they have an incentive to be as big as possible and to earn the highest rewards.

像LiveNation一樣，他們有動力做大做強(qiáng)，實(shí)現(xiàn)利益最大化。

As the ones sweating on stage, they have every right to charge whatever they like—though they need to balance that against the risk of alienating some fans.

那些在舞臺上揮汗如雨的音樂人，他們有權(quán)收取各種費(fèi)用--盡管他們需要平衡賺錢和脫粉風(fēng)險之間的利害關(guān)系。

Live Nation can be as greedy as it likes, too. But it has to be prepared to sweat in the political heat.
Live Nation也可以隨心所欲地貪婪。但它必須做好防范政治風(fēng)險的準(zhǔn)備。

（恭喜讀完，本篇英語詞匯量1053左右，有刪減）
原文出自：2022年12月3日《TE》Business版塊。

精讀筆記來源于：自由英語之路

本文翻譯整理: Irene本文編輯校對: Irene
僅供個人英語學(xué)習(xí)交流使用。

【補(bǔ)充資料】（來自于網(wǎng)絡(luò)）
零工經(jīng)濟(jì)Gig economy：在網(wǎng)絡(luò)化和數(shù)字化的今天，很多工作已經(jīng)不再需要人們到現(xiàn)場親自下手完成，如給供應(yīng)商匯款可以通過網(wǎng)銀和某寶，編程人員隨時隨地寫代碼，企業(yè)員工隨時隨地用視頻平臺開會。人們也逐漸不依賴于一家公司或一個雇主，而是在有全職工作或沒有全職工作下打起了“零工”。這里“零工”的意思已經(jīng)不再是我果八九十年代進(jìn)城打零工的人，也不是指做重復(fù)性勞動的群體，而是通過自己的專業(yè)技術(shù)或愛好特，特長，在全職工作或?qū)W業(yè)以外在從事的工作，也就是我們所說的副業(yè)。這些副業(yè)工作通常不受空間限制，更不受上級牽制，在時間空隙中尋找機(jī)會?！傲愎そ?jīng)濟(jì)是一種技能經(jīng)濟(jì)，技能型勞動者回事魚與熊掌兼得的大贏家”，他們可以利用自己的專業(yè)技能和社會的需求去打造一種靈活自主且有意義的職業(yè)工作。

Ticketmaster是一個很老牌的售票網(wǎng)站，而他所屬的Ticketmaster公司更是全球票務(wù)行業(yè)的王牌，總部在美國加州，目前業(yè)務(wù)遍及20多個國家，主要負(fù)責(zé)在線銷售各大演唱會、體育賽事、戲劇、展演等活動的門票。2010年Ticketmaster與全球最大的現(xiàn)場音樂公司Live Nation的合并也是一時轟動音樂界。另外，針對很多尤其是一線歌手的大型巡演，Ticketmaster還會獨(dú)家發(fā)售一部分專供土豪的特殊形式的門票。比如，有一種叫白金坐席（Ticketmaster Platinum）。這也是Ticketmaster主打的一個特色服務(wù)，以根據(jù)市場供求情況計算出的一個合理價格（高于票面價格）發(fā)售一部分位置優(yōu)越的門票。

【重點(diǎn)句子】（3 個）
The second is that a big part of the price inflation comes from secondary resellers (ie, scalpers or touts) who use bots and other means to acquire batches of tickets.
第二點(diǎn)：價格上漲很大一部分原因是由于二級轉(zhuǎn)售商（即黃?；蚱必溩樱麄兪褂脵C(jī)器人和其他手段獲取一批門票。

Most are much less altruistic, for reasons that are easy to understand.
大多數(shù)音樂人沒有那么無私，原因也很容易理解。

In other words, for all their folksy or countercultural veneer, superstars tend to be capitalists.
換言之，盡管超級明星有著民俗氣息或非主流文化的外表，但他們也是資本家。