Demand's Illusion Can Mislead Market Decisions

The existence of ticket touts—businesses hoarding large quantities of tickets to resell at inflated prices—creates a deceptive appearance of high demand in the live entertainment market. Instant sell-outs of shows can lead artists and promoters to misinterpret this demand, often resulting in additional shows being booked unnecessarily. When a second show is added, it may reveal an overestimation of demand when both performances end up with many empty seats. This dynamic highlights the risk of relying on superficial sales metrics to gauge true market interest.