research

Topic: Creative Economies: Creative Industries

A creative economy is dependent on a creative workforce and the presence of creative industries—for-profit and nonprofit businesses involved in the creation or distribution of the arts. They are businesses that we participate in for enjoyment (seeing a movie, attending a concert, or reading a novel); engage in for business (architecture, design, musical instrument manufacturing); and invest in to enrich community livability (museums, public art, performing arts centers). Creative industries contribute to economic growth by attracting a dynamic workforce, serving as a destination for cultural tourism, and creating exportable cultural products.

Resources:

Americans for the Arts Creative Industries Reports

Creative Industries: Business & Employment in the Arts reports offer a research-based approach to understanding the scope and importance of the arts to the nation's economy. Encompassing both the nonprofit and for-profit arts industries, our analysis as of January 2010 reveals that 668,267 arts-centric businesses exist across the nation and employ an impressive 2.9 million individuals. The Creative Industries reports demonstrate that arts-centric businesses are contributing significantly to local economies in all 435 congressional districts—representing 4.05 percent of all businesses and 2.18 percent of all jobs in the United States. 

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See Also:

• Creative Economies
• Americans for the Arts Monograph: Building Creative Economies: The Arts, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainable Development