Photo: Anjelica Bette Fellini
ABOUT
Will Page is the author of the critically acclaimed book Tarzan Economics, which has been translated into five languages and published in paperback under the title Pivot. As the former Chief Economist of Spotify and PRS for Music, Will pioneered Rockonomics and shined a spotlight on Glocalisation, showing how and why local artists singing in their mother tongues are topping the charts on global streaming platforms. At Spotify, Will launched his ongoing and widely anticipated annual report on the global value of music copyright, and at PRS he saved BBC 6Music. A passionate communicator, he is a regular contributor to BBC, Financial Times, and The Economist. Will also serves as a fellow at the London School of Economics, Edinburgh Futures Institute, and the Royal Society of the Arts.
ON THE DECKS AGAIN…
Will’s latest mix
Named after a Hall & Oates lyric that encourages us to ‘be true to ourselves creatively’ the mix travels from Brazil to Israel. A seamless hour of musical reverie — you can feel it already. Press play, leave a comment and REPOST far and wide. Respect due to musical director Lucie Watson and producer Adam Gow, designer Karl Humphreys. H/T for the shout outs, Ice T (Jorge Hinojosa); Patrick Forge; Gadi Oron; Derrick Gee; Tuma Basa; Greg Wilson; Samira Ahmed; Megatronic and DJ Bosq.
Listen to all of Will’s mixes on any of the following platforms
TARZAN ECONOMICS
This book asks only that you apply some common sense. Common sense was at the heart of how economics was taught to me. My father, a maths teacher, taught me how to teach economics from the age of eleven – long before I had the chance to study it. ‘Look at your audience,’ he would often say, ‘and then spot the least interested person in that room and focus on teaching economics to them; the rest will follow.’ His fundamental belief: The people who need to learn about economics most are those who
(a) don’t think they will understand it;
(b) don’t want to understand it;
(c) have to understand it.
To right that wrong, let me be clear: prior knowledge of economics is not a prerequisite for reading this book. As much as my profession would like me not to say this, perfectly rational economics exists totally independently of economists. You know more economics than you realise.
“Will is one of the band of enlightened economists who can think more broadly than many. [...] As Will says, the aim of the eight principles and the examples in the book is not to proclaim answers but to help readers ask the right questions about their situation and pick the most appropriate strategies and tactics.”
— Diane Coyle, Economist, Bennett Professor of Public Policy at University of Cambridge
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