黄牛对演唱会票价的作用

华尔街的气氛音乐是低沉的，因为美国政府正在收紧贸易，消费者也准备削减开支。

双语精读

Mo' problems, mo' money

问题越多，钱越多

The mood music on Wall Street is downbeat, as America's government throttles trade and consumers seem poised to trim spending. Yet one corner of the entertainment industry is partying on regardless.

华尔街的气氛音乐是低沉的，因为美国政府正在收紧贸易，消费者也准备削减开支。然而在娱乐业的一个角落里，派对仍在继续进行。

Live Nation, a concert promoter, has said it expects the live-music industry to break records in 2025. The music business has a record of performing well during downturns.

演唱会推广公司“现场之国”表示，预计现场音乐产业将在2025年打破纪录。音乐行业在经济低迷时期一直表现良好。

Although concerts were clobbered by covid-19 lockdowns in 2020-21, during America's previous three recessions live entertainment held up even as spending on other forms of fun dipped, according to Goldman Sachs, a bank.

虽然在2020至2021年期间，新冠疫情封锁对演唱会造成了重创，但根据高盛银行的数据，在美国之前三次经济衰退中，现场娱乐活动依然坚挺，而其他形式的娱乐消费却有所下滑。

Timing is one reason: concert-goers may book tickets months in advance, so the impact of belt-tightening is delayed. Another is that the average big-name gig in America is still cheaper than a night out on Broadway or at the National Football League, meaning that concerts are not the first treats to be forgone in a crunch (they may even serve as cheaper substitutes).

时机是一个原因：演唱会观众可能会提前几个月预订门票，因此收紧钱包的影响会有所延迟。另一个原因是，在美国，大明星演唱会的平均票价仍然比百老汇戏剧或国家橄榄球联盟比赛的门票更便宜，这意味着在财务紧张时，演唱会并不是首先被砍掉的娱乐（甚至可能成为更便宜的替代选择）。

The globalisation of music fandom also protects touring artists from downturns. If demand falters in Johannesburg, add a date in Jakarta. The most improbable saviours of live music in recessions are a group more often cast as villains: ticket touts.

歌迷的全球化也让巡演的歌手免受经济低迷的影响。如果南非的约翰内斯堡的需求疲软，那就在印度尼西亚的雅加达再加一场。在经济衰退时，拯救现场音乐的最出人意料的英雄是一群常被视为反派的人：卖票的黄牛。

Concerts are deliberately underpriced, to ensure that true fans-young and hip but penniless-make it into the audience alongside rich oldies and corporate-hospitality bores. Scalpers take advantage by buying tickets early, then reselling them at the true market-clearing price.

演唱会的票价故意定得很低，这是为了确保真正的粉丝——年轻、时髦，但没有钱——能够与富有的老人和无聊的企业客户一起进入观众席。黄牛提前购票，然后以真正的市场出清价格把票转卖，利用差价牟利。

In booms they prosper: in 2019, just before the pandemic, Live Nation said that the average uplift in ticket prices on the secondary market in America was 70%, providing touts with a profit of $1.3bn (more than Live Nation's own operating profit that year).

在经济繁荣时期，黄牛生意兴隆：就在疫情暴发前的2019年，现场之国表示，美国二级市场的门票价格平均上涨了70%，这为黄牛提供了13亿美元的利润（超过了现场之国当年的营业利润）。

But when demand softens, touts feel it first. Their billion-dollar profit pool in effect shields the primary market from declines in consumer spending, argue Stephen Laszczyk and Antares Tobelem of Goldman Sachs.

但当需求减弱时，黄牛也能最先感受到。高盛的斯蒂芬·拉斯奇克和安塔雷斯·托贝伦认为，黄牛的数十亿美元利润池实际上保护了一级市场，使其免受消费者支出下降的影响。

"In the event of a recession, we would expect that the secondary market would absorb most of the pressure on marginal demand, insulating the underlying profitability of the live-music industry," they predict.

“如果经济衰退，我们预计二级市场将吸收边际需求的大部分压力，从而保护现场音乐行业的基本盈利能力。”他们预测。

词汇预习

• ensure [高考]
  美[ɪnˈʃʊr] | 英[ɪnˈʃʊə(r)]
  vt. 担保；保证；使安全；确保
• impact [高考]
  美[ˈɪmpækt , ɪmˈpækt] | 英[ˈɪmpækt , ɪmˈpækt]
  n. 影响；冲击力；撞击
  vt. 挤入；压紧；撞击；对 ... 发生影响
  vi. 冲击；撞击；产生影响
• secondary [高考]
  美[ˈsekənderi] | 英[ˈsekəndri]
  adj. 次要的；从属的；中等教育的
  n. 副手；次要位置
• corporate [高考]
  美[ˈkɔːrpərət] | 英[ˈkɔːpərət]
  adj. 法人的；公司的；社团的；共同的；全体的
• uplift [高考]
  美[ʌpˈlɪft] | 英[ˈʌplɪft]
  v. 鼓舞；提高（道德水准等）
  n. （精神或情绪方面的）振作；（地质学）隆起
• demand [高考]
  美[dɪˈmænd] | 英[dɪˈmɑːnd]
  n. 要求；需求
  v. 要求；查问；需要
• advance [高考]
  美[ədˈvæns] | 英[ədˈvɑːns]
  n. 前进；进展；预付金
  v. 前进；预付；增长；推进
  adj. 预先的；提前的
• previous [高考]
  美[ˈpriːviəs] | 英[ˈpriːviəs]
  adj. 以前的；先于；在 ... 之前
• absorb [高考]
  美[əbˈzɔːrb] | 英[əbˈzɔːb]
  vt. 吸收；吸引 ... 的注意；吞并；承受
• profit [高考]
  美[ˈprɑːfɪt] | 英[ˈprɒfɪt]
  n. 利润；收益；利益
  vi. 得益；获利
  vt. 有益于
• regardless [高考]
  美[rɪˈɡɑːrdləs] | 英[rɪˈɡɑːdləs]
  adj. 不顾的；不注意的
  adv. 不顾
• cast [高考]
  美[kæst] | 英[kɑːst]
  v. 掷；抛；投；铸造；指定演员；加起来；投射(目光)；投(票)；预测
  n. 演员阵容；投掷；[医]固定用敷料
• deliberately [高考]
  美[dɪˈlɪbərətli] | 英[dɪˈlɪbərətli]
  adv. 故意地；不慌不忙地
• alongside [高考]
  美[əˌlɔːŋˈsaɪd] | 英[əˌlɒŋˈsaɪd]
  adv. 在旁边
  prep. 在 ... 旁边
• serve as [高考]
  美[sɚv æz] | 英[sə:v æz]
  vt. 担任(充当； 起 ... 的作用)
• in advance [高考]
  美[ɪn ədˈvæns] | 英[ɪn ədˈvɑːns]
  提前；预先
• crunch [高考]
  美[krʌntʃ] | 英[krʌntʃ]
  v. 发出碎裂声；嘎吱嘎吱地咀嚼；嘎喳嘎喳地碾过
  n. 嘎吱声；艰难局面；关键时刻
• would [高考]
  美[wʊd , wəd] | 英[wʊd , wəd]
  aux. 将；可能；大概；总会；愿意；will的过去式
• trim [四级]
  美[trɪm] | 英[trɪm]
  v. 修剪，修整；削减；装饰，点缀（尤指某物的边缘）
  adj. 苗条的；修长的；整洁美观的；整齐的
  n.（尤指毛发的）修剪；（衣服、家具、汽车等的）装饰物；健康状态
  【名】（Trim）（美）特里姆（人名）
• recession [四级]
  美[rɪˈseʃn] | 英[rɪˈseʃn]
  n. 后退；（经济）不景气
• prosper [四级]
  美[ˈprɑːspər] | 英[ˈprɒspə(r)]
  vi. 繁盛；成功；兴旺
• hospitality [四级]
  美[ˌhɑːspɪˈtæləti] | 英[ˌhɒspɪˈtæləti]
  n. 款待；殷勤；好客；酒店管理
• make it [四级]
  美[mek ɪt] | 英[meik it]
  成功 达到预定目标,性交易,幸存
• pressure on [四级]
  美 | 英
  对...的压力
• in effect [四级]
  美[ɪn ɪ'fekt] | 英[ɪn ɪ'fekt]
  adj. 实际上；正在实行；有效
• profitability [六级]
  美[ˌprɑfɪtəˈbɪlətɪ] | 英[ˌprɒfɪtə'bɪlətɪ]
  n. 收益性；盈利能力
• marginal [六级]
  美[ˈmɑːrdʒɪnl] | 英[ˈmɑːdʒɪnl]
  adj. 边际的；末端的；仅以微弱多数获胜的；微小的
• hip [六级]
  美[hɪp] | 英[hɪp]
  n. 臀部；髋；屋脊
  adj. [非]时髦的；通晓的
  int. （欢呼声）嘿
• clearing [六级]
  美[ˈklɪrɪŋ] | 英[ˈklɪərɪŋ]
  n. (森林中的)空地；清除；结算；票据交换
• tightening [专四]
  美['taɪtnɪŋ] | 英['taɪtnɪŋ]
  n. 上紧；固定；紧密
• underlying [专四]
  美[ˌʌndərˈlaɪɪŋ] | 英[ˌʌndəˈlaɪɪŋ]
  adj. 潜在的；隐含的；在下面的；基本的；[经]优先的
• according [专四]
  美[ə'kɔrdɪŋ] | 英[ə'kɔːdɪŋ]
  adj. 相符的；相应的；一致的
  v. 给予；符合，一致；正式协议（accord的现在分词）
• improbable [考研]
  美[ɪmˈprɑbəbl] | 英[ɪmˈprɒbəbl]
  adj. 不大可能的；不像会发生的；似不可信的
• Broadway [考研]
  美[ ˈbrɔːdweɪ] | 英[ˈbrɔːdweɪ]
  n. 百老汇(美国纽约一街道名)
• penniless [考研]
  美[ˈpeniləs] | 英[ˈpeniləs]
  adj. 身无分文的
• promoter [考研]
  美[prəˈmoʊtə(r)] | 英[prəˈməʊtə(r)]
  n. 促进者；发起人；催化剂；促进剂；启动子

重点讲解

Mo’ problems, mo’ money

问题越多，钱越多

poise  v. 动作平稳；保持某种姿势

【例】He poised himself on the diving-board. 

他在跳板上站稳。

【搭配】poise sth to do / be poised to do 

摆好做某事的架势；准备好做某事

【例】I poised my pencil over the page, ready to take down her words.

我把铅笔悬在纸页上，准备好记下她的话。

The mood music on Wall Street is downbeat, as America’s government throttles trade and consumers seem poised to trim spending. Yet one corner of the entertainment industry is partying on regardless.

华尔街的气氛音乐是低沉的，因为美国政府正在收紧贸易，消费者也准备削减开支。然而在娱乐业的一个角落里，派对仍在继续进行。

poise  v. 动作平稳；保持某种姿势

【例】He poised himself on the diving-board. 

他在跳板上站稳。

【搭配】poise sth to do / be poised to do 

摆好做某事的架势；准备好做某事

【例】I poised my pencil over the page, ready to take down her words.

我把铅笔悬在纸页上，准备好记下她的话。

Live Nation, a concert promoter, has said it expects the live-music industry to break records in 2025. The music business has a record of performing well during downturns.

演唱会推广公司“现场之国”表示，预计现场音乐产业将在2025年打破纪录。音乐行业在经济低迷时期一直表现良好。

hold up  坚持住；保持坚强

【例】The competition is tough, but she is holding up well.

比赛很激烈，但她很好地承受住了压力/没有垮掉。

【拓展】hold up sth  使某事延迟

【例】An accident is holding up traffic. 

一场事故造成了交通阻塞。

Although concerts were clobbered by covid-19 lockdowns in 2020-21, during America’s previous three recessions live entertainment held up even as spending on other forms of fun dipped, according to Goldman Sachs, a bank.

虽然在2020至2021年期间，新冠疫情封锁对演唱会造成了重创，但根据高盛银行的数据，在美国之前三次经济衰退中，现场娱乐活动依然坚挺，而其他形式的娱乐消费却有所下滑。

hold up  坚持住；保持坚强

【例】The competition is tough, but she is holding up well.

比赛很激烈，但她很好地承受住了压力/没有垮掉。

【拓展】hold up sth  使某事延迟

【例】An accident is holding up traffic. 

一场事故造成了交通阻塞。

Timing is one reason: concert-goers may book tickets months in advance, so the impact of belt-tightening is delayed. Another is that the average big-name gig in America is still cheaper than a night out on Broadway or at the National Football League, meaning that concerts are not the first treats to be forgone in a crunch (they may even serve as cheaper substitutes).

时机是一个原因：演唱会观众可能会提前几个月预订门票，因此收紧钱包的影响会有所延迟。另一个原因是，在美国，大明星演唱会的平均票价仍然比百老汇戏剧或国家橄榄球联盟比赛的门票更便宜，这意味着在财务紧张时，演唱会并不是首先被砍掉的娱乐（甚至可能成为更便宜的替代选择）。

in advance  提前；预先

【例】It's cheaper if you book the tickets in advance. 

提前订票要便宜一些。

He arrived a week in advance to ensure everything was right.

他提前一周到了，确保一切正常无误。

【近义词】ahead  adv. 提前地；预先地

The globalisation of music fandom also protects touring artists from downturns. If demand falters in Johannesburg, add a date in Jakarta. The most improbable saviours of live music in recessions are a group more often cast as villains: ticket touts.

歌迷的全球化也让巡演的歌手免受经济低迷的影响。如果南非的约翰内斯堡的需求疲软，那就在印度尼西亚的雅加达再加一场。在经济衰退时，拯救现场音乐的最出人意料的英雄是一群常被视为反派的人：卖票的黄牛。

improbable  adj. 不可能的；出人意料的

【例】The story sounds improbable.

这事听起来不太可能是真的。

She is the most improbable winner of the competition.

她是最让人意外的比赛获胜者。

【近义词】unlikely  adj. 不可能的；出人意料的

Concerts are deliberately underpriced, to ensure that true fans—young and hip but penniless—make it into the audience alongside rich oldies and corporate-hospitality bores. Scalpers take advantage by buying tickets early, then reselling them at the true market-clearing price.

演唱会的票价故意定得很低，这是为了确保真正的粉丝——年轻、时髦，但没有钱——能够与富有的老人和无聊的企业客户一起进入观众席。黄牛提前购票，然后以真正的市场出清价格把票转卖，利用差价牟利。

In booms they prosper: in 2019, just before the pandemic, Live Nation said that the average uplift in ticket prices on the secondary market in America was 70%, providing touts with a profit of $1.3bn (more than Live Nation’s own operating profit that year).

在经济繁荣时期，黄牛生意兴隆：就在疫情暴发前的2019年，现场之国表示，美国二级市场的门票价格平均上涨了70%，这为黄牛提供了13亿美元的利润（超过了现场之国当年的营业利润）。

But when demand softens, touts feel it first. Their billion-dollar profit pool in effect shields the primary market from declines in consumer spending, argue Stephen Laszczyk and Antares Tobelem of Goldman Sachs.

但当需求减弱时，黄牛也能最先感受到。高盛的斯蒂芬·拉斯奇克和安塔雷斯·托贝伦认为，黄牛的数十亿美元利润池实际上保护了一级市场，使其免受消费者支出下降的影响。

shield sth/sb from...  保护某人/物免受……

【例】She tried to shield the child from the bad news.

她想保护孩子，不让孩子知道这个坏消息。

【拓展】shield  n. 盾牌

【近义词】protect sb/sth from... 保护某人/物免受……

“In the event of a recession, we would expect that the secondary market would absorb most of the pressure on marginal demand, insulating the underlying profitability of the live-music industry,” they predict.

“如果经济衰退，我们预计二级市场将吸收边际需求的大部分压力，从而保护现场音乐行业的基本盈利能力。”他们预测。

insulate  v. 绝缘；隔热；隔绝

【例】The ticket prices of concerts are insulated from recession.

演唱会门票的价格没有受到经济衰退的影响。

【搭配】insulate sb/sth from...  保护某人/物免受……

课后练习

• How do concerts perform during economic downturns?

  A. They always experience a sharp decline in attendance.
  B. They maintain strong ticket prices and steady demands.
  C. They often keep pace with other forms of entertainment.
  D. They see fluctuating and unpredictable changes in demand.

• One of the reasons for the strong and stable demand of concerts is that ____.

  A. there is a wider range of concerts to choose from
  B. concert-goers usually book tickets at the last minute
  C. demands in different regions can compensate each other
  D. the average concert is more expensive than other entertainments

• How do touts profit during economic booms?

  A. By buying tickets at the market-clearing price.
  B. By underpricing tickets and selling them in large quantities.
  C. By buying tickets early and reselling them at a much higher price.
  D. By providing corporate-hospitality services and charging high fees.

• What impact do touts have on the live music market during recessions?

  A. They cause the primary market to decline sharply.
  B. They protect the profitability of the primary market.
  C. They grab a large share of profit from the secondary market.
  D. They have no impact on either the primary or secondary market.