Why is There (Still) A Market for Porn?
Economist Tyler Cowen wonders, and his readers speculate in the comments thread. An excerpt as to what's tickling his economist bone on this question:
Have you noticed that storage is really, really cheap these days? Have you studied the durable goods monopoly problem? Once you've accumulated a stock of durable material, at some point you will sell off successive units very very cheaply. Have you noticed that costs of electronic reproduction -- call it marginal cost -- are really, really low these days? Have you noticed there is a massive stock of accumulated pornographic images?
……… Call me clueless, as I have very little direct knowledge of pornography. But I don't understand why buyers demand such a regular flow of material. Why don't they just buy a single dense disc of images and keep themselves, um…busy…for many years? I believe also that fetishes are fairly stable and predictable. You don't need to see "the new porn" to know what you will want to get off on.
As I observe the sector, buyers cough up new money all the time, and they buy relatively small units of output, and at relatively high prices.
Have at it, porn fiends!
