CULTURAL AND CREATIVE
INDUSTRIES
Table of contents
Week 2.......................................................................................................... 2
Creativity vs commerce.................................................................................................. 2
Caves (2000) Economic properties of creative activities.............................................2
Reading Kellner (2012) Frankfurt Schule.....................................................................3
Week 3.......................................................................................................... 4
Policy perspectives......................................................................................................... 4
Flew and Cunningham (2010).....................................................................................4
Kate Oakley (2006)..................................................................................................... 5
Week 4.......................................................................................................... 7
Autonomy and Precarity................................................................................................. 7
Banks (2010)............................................................................................................... 7
Hesmondhalgh and Baker (2009)................................................................................8
Week 5.......................................................................................................... 9
Diversity and Inequality.................................................................................................. 9
Conor, Gill and Taylor (2015).......................................................................................9
Eikhof and Warhurst (2013).......................................................................................10
Week 6........................................................................................................ 13
Gatekeepers................................................................................................................. 13
Foster, Borgatti, Jones (2011)....................................................................................13
Scott (1999).............................................................................................................. 14
Week 7........................................................................................................ 17
Reputations, Space and Place.......................................................................................17
Lloyd (2002).............................................................................................................. 17
1
, WEEK 2
CREATIVITY VS COMMERCE
CAVES (2000) ECONOMIC PROPERTIES OF CREATIVE ACTIVITIES
- About the organization of creative activities
- Why some creative activities occur in ongoing organization’s (firms) and
others in one-off deals
Basic economic properties of creative activities
1. Nobody Knows
- Normal markets there is information asymmetry. In creative economy,
symmetrical ignorance (= producer doesn’t know how product will be
received; buyer doesn’t know how good a product is before buying it). So,
both parties are ‘in the dark” which’s creates risks.
- Creators don’t know if their vision (or product) will be appreciated
2. Art for Art’s Sake
- Most other areas of economic production: workers are motivated by
wages, but
nothing more. Not emotionally or intellectually invested.
- Creative economy: workers motivated by their own without wages.
They produce even when they should restrict supply (when more
production doesn’t create any revenue
3. Motley Crew
- Other economic production: substitutable inputs (products and workers)
- In creative production: inputs can’t be substituted. Like stars of films. Or
specific music sounds (Change in lead singer)
- = Products or people replacements creates an different outcome or success
4. Infinite Variety
- Most products, quality is measured. We prefer quality A over B with the
(nearly) same price
- With creative products you only notice AFTER consuming product. With
creative products it’s not just about the quality, but more about the
characteristics. Differences are about quality and character (comedy vs
horror)
- More factors are at play, not just the quality
5. A List/ B List
- A/B Celebs
- Choosing were to invest in. Popular but expensive actors of expensive
director and cheaper (B list) actors.
6. Time Flies
- Time is an important factor outside of and inside of the creative Industries.
But large, complex productions make this even more apparent in at least
three ways
2
, 1. Production process and time constrains may force producers to use
alternative inputs then they normally would, because of time stress
(expenses linked to production costs and scheduling)
2. The time it takes to recoup initial money is important: 100 euro tomorrow is
worth more than 100 euro in 10 years (time value of money).
3. When large productions happen, they are incurring expenses (catering,
setbuilders). If they haven’t begun yet the expenses are minimal (writing
scripts, attending meetings).
7. Ars Longa
- “Life is short, art is forever”
- Normally the returns on a product only happens once. “Bake a bread, sell
it, income”. In creative works “rents” can continue to be collected after the
initial sale for the work (royalties, cult classic films, investments in art, Bob
Ross)
READING KELLNER (2012) FRANKFURT SCHULE
Frankfurter Schule - Institute for social research. Shifted from studying working
class to studying mass communication. Not everyone survived WW2
- Theodor Adorno interested in music and society. Pop music as a mass
produces commodified version of art, pop culture is for stupid people and
bad. High culture had emancipatory potential and challenges the audience.
- Walter Benjamin, disagreed with Adorno regarding popular art. For
Benjamin even though reproduction (photography, film) “demystified” high
art (making art less special/magical. But this could also be a source of
“political consciousness” to inform more people. He had a more optimistic
outlook on popular culture.
3
INDUSTRIES
Table of contents
Week 2.......................................................................................................... 2
Creativity vs commerce.................................................................................................. 2
Caves (2000) Economic properties of creative activities.............................................2
Reading Kellner (2012) Frankfurt Schule.....................................................................3
Week 3.......................................................................................................... 4
Policy perspectives......................................................................................................... 4
Flew and Cunningham (2010).....................................................................................4
Kate Oakley (2006)..................................................................................................... 5
Week 4.......................................................................................................... 7
Autonomy and Precarity................................................................................................. 7
Banks (2010)............................................................................................................... 7
Hesmondhalgh and Baker (2009)................................................................................8
Week 5.......................................................................................................... 9
Diversity and Inequality.................................................................................................. 9
Conor, Gill and Taylor (2015).......................................................................................9
Eikhof and Warhurst (2013).......................................................................................10
Week 6........................................................................................................ 13
Gatekeepers................................................................................................................. 13
Foster, Borgatti, Jones (2011)....................................................................................13
Scott (1999).............................................................................................................. 14
Week 7........................................................................................................ 17
Reputations, Space and Place.......................................................................................17
Lloyd (2002).............................................................................................................. 17
1
, WEEK 2
CREATIVITY VS COMMERCE
CAVES (2000) ECONOMIC PROPERTIES OF CREATIVE ACTIVITIES
- About the organization of creative activities
- Why some creative activities occur in ongoing organization’s (firms) and
others in one-off deals
Basic economic properties of creative activities
1. Nobody Knows
- Normal markets there is information asymmetry. In creative economy,
symmetrical ignorance (= producer doesn’t know how product will be
received; buyer doesn’t know how good a product is before buying it). So,
both parties are ‘in the dark” which’s creates risks.
- Creators don’t know if their vision (or product) will be appreciated
2. Art for Art’s Sake
- Most other areas of economic production: workers are motivated by
wages, but
nothing more. Not emotionally or intellectually invested.
- Creative economy: workers motivated by their own without wages.
They produce even when they should restrict supply (when more
production doesn’t create any revenue
3. Motley Crew
- Other economic production: substitutable inputs (products and workers)
- In creative production: inputs can’t be substituted. Like stars of films. Or
specific music sounds (Change in lead singer)
- = Products or people replacements creates an different outcome or success
4. Infinite Variety
- Most products, quality is measured. We prefer quality A over B with the
(nearly) same price
- With creative products you only notice AFTER consuming product. With
creative products it’s not just about the quality, but more about the
characteristics. Differences are about quality and character (comedy vs
horror)
- More factors are at play, not just the quality
5. A List/ B List
- A/B Celebs
- Choosing were to invest in. Popular but expensive actors of expensive
director and cheaper (B list) actors.
6. Time Flies
- Time is an important factor outside of and inside of the creative Industries.
But large, complex productions make this even more apparent in at least
three ways
2
, 1. Production process and time constrains may force producers to use
alternative inputs then they normally would, because of time stress
(expenses linked to production costs and scheduling)
2. The time it takes to recoup initial money is important: 100 euro tomorrow is
worth more than 100 euro in 10 years (time value of money).
3. When large productions happen, they are incurring expenses (catering,
setbuilders). If they haven’t begun yet the expenses are minimal (writing
scripts, attending meetings).
7. Ars Longa
- “Life is short, art is forever”
- Normally the returns on a product only happens once. “Bake a bread, sell
it, income”. In creative works “rents” can continue to be collected after the
initial sale for the work (royalties, cult classic films, investments in art, Bob
Ross)
READING KELLNER (2012) FRANKFURT SCHULE
Frankfurter Schule - Institute for social research. Shifted from studying working
class to studying mass communication. Not everyone survived WW2
- Theodor Adorno interested in music and society. Pop music as a mass
produces commodified version of art, pop culture is for stupid people and
bad. High culture had emancipatory potential and challenges the audience.
- Walter Benjamin, disagreed with Adorno regarding popular art. For
Benjamin even though reproduction (photography, film) “demystified” high
art (making art less special/magical. But this could also be a source of
“political consciousness” to inform more people. He had a more optimistic
outlook on popular culture.
3
