⏳ Time is running out to invest in Marketplace by making a tax-deductible gift! Support Marketplace Today!

What 18th century music can teach us about the 21st century economy

Dec 27, 2024
An economic concept known as the Baumol effect helps explain wage increases in industries immune to technological change.
Sheet music for Handel’s Messiah, which was written in the 1740s. It takes musicians today the same skill and time to play this piece as when it was written — productivity has not changed.
Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images