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Publications

Priceonomics

Music

How a 90-Year-Old Missing Person Became a Hit on Spotify

Nobody noticed Connie Converse when she was trying to get a record deal in New York in the 1950s. Nobody stopped her when she left her life in Michigan in 1974, never to be seen again. Today, her music is heard by tens of thousands.

Rosie Cima Priceonomics Jan 2015 15min Permalink

Business

Can Airlines Make Money?

For decades, airlines failed to turn a profit despite having a monopoly on the sky. This year they’re expected to make billions. Here’s why.

Alex Mayyasi Priceonomics Nov 2015 10min Permalink

Movies & TV

The Man Who Got No Whammies

The story of how Michael Larson cracked the code of Press Your Luck, winning $104,950 in cash, a sailboat ($1,015), and two all-inclusive trips.

Zachary Crockett Priceonomics Sep 2015 10min Permalink

Arts Music

The Genius of Moondog

How a blind, destitute man became a world-class composer while living on the streets of New York.

Zachary Crockett Priceonomics Jan 2015 15min Permalink

How the Father of Claymation Lost His Company

Will Vinton created the California Raisins, coined the term “claymation” and had a firm making $28 million a year in the late 1990s. By 2002, he was out of a job, replaced by a failed rapper who had gone by the name “Chilly Tee” and also happened to be the son of Nike co-founder Phil Knight.

Zachary Crockett Priceonomics May 2014 20min Permalink

Arts Business

The Ghostwriting Business

The incentives for and ethics of writing other people’s books.

Alex Mayyasi Priceonomics Dec 2013 15min Permalink

Arts

What It's Like to Fail

How a comedy writer making $300,000 a year ended up homeless.

David Raether Priceonomics Nov 2013 20min Permalink

Business

The Economics of Infomercials

The $200 billion industry behind the Snuggie.

Jon Nathanson Priceonomics Nov 2013 20min Permalink