What are the creative industries?

1. What are the creative industries? The creative industry is not the average industry as it promotes peoples artist talents and creativity to create income and jobs. The industry itself is broken down into different groups. For example; Advertising, Architecture, Computer games, Crafts, Film, video and photography, Software and electronic publishing, Music and visual arts, Publishing, television and radio

2. The Creative Industries in the UK • The creative industries have a large impact on the British economy. According to the department of culture, media and sport; roughly two million people are employed in over 150,000 businesses in the creative industries. • The creative industries grows about 4% every year in the UK. It has seen positive growth throughout the recession compared to negative growth in other areas of the economy. • By 2017, there is expected to be an extra 150,000 jobs in the creative industries • The creative industries contributes to about 5-10% of the UK’s exports. About £2.5 Billion is made each year through the creative industries in Scotland.

3. A look at some of the sectors Video game Industry – UK based video game companies make £1.7 billion a year and contribute “£400 million to the GDP. The sector employs 28,000 people and is the 5th largest game producer. In Spring 2012, the video game industry received a large tax break, this will see the games industry grow significantly in the coming years. Film industry – the film industry contributes around £4.5 – 5.0 billion pounds a year to the UK economy and 164 million tickets were brought to see films in the UK in 2008. the industry employs 35,000 people and extended employment impact stands at about 100,000. in 2008, British films received 32 awards and praise for British films is gaining momentum each year, meaning it is valuable for the economy. Music Industry – British music has been renowned across the world and it is still the case today. The music industry contributes “5 billion pounds to the economy and £1.3 billion comes from exports. 130,000 people are employed in the UK. The British music industry is the 3rd largest in the world and amounts to a 7-10% of the world market value.

4. Impact of the Creative Industries Economic Impact – the creative industries are vital to the UK economy as they produce £24 billion a year and employ nearly two million people. Also, almost one million people are employed in ‘spill over’ jobs which are involved outside the industry. A report by NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) shows that companies which invest in the creative inputs often produce a wider range of goods and better service, compared to companies which invest less. Finally, the creative industries result in strong international ties as companies from different countries often work together. These points show the creative industries are economically important to the UK and abroad. Social Impact – the creative industries are seen as a “defining feature of the British national identity” and impact everybody’s lives directly or indirectly. Many people’s hobbies are interests are created by the industry (video games, music, film etc.) so are a great importance on how people relate and connect with each other. Creativity often goes hand-in-hand with intelligence and innovation, so the industry is often regarded as a way to improve society and people’s lives.