Course Materials
Syllabus Final Project GuidelinesAssignments, review material, and other course documents will be posted here as the semester progresses.
Readings
Read everything listed before the class it is assigned to. Two students are picked at random each day to summarize. Media industries move faster than a syllabus, so readings may be swapped as the semester goes — check here rather than relying on a printout.
Unit 1
Foundations
Class 2 — Cost Structure: Fixed vs. Marginal Cost
Fri Sep 11- How Much Does It Cost to Make a Hit Song? (Planet Money podcast)
- The Costs of Recording an Album — and How to Pay for It
Class 3 — Demand, Supply, and Elasticity: The Advertising Market
Tue Sep 15Class 4 — Market Power and Barriers to Entry
Fri Sep 18- Mavericks, Monopolies and Beer (Planet Money podcast)
- Streaming Stops Feeling Infinite
- Tech’s Broader Barriers to Entry (PDF)