Artists' suicides as a public good.
This Commentary suggests that it is possible, from an economic perspective, that any individual artist/celebrity suicide may be of net benefit to society. Sales of the artist's products and associated merchandise may increase after the suicide, and people, including those who were not even born at the time of the suicide, may derive value from its iconic rectification, not to mention the higher value they derive from some private goods. A case study of Kurt Cobain is given to illustrate this phenomenon.
Cameron
Samuel
S
Centre for International Development, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK.
Yang
Bijou
B
Lester
David
D
D000328:Adult; D001154:Art; D003132:Commerce; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D012924:Social Conditions; D013405:Suicide / Q000191:economics*