CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
The notion of the "creative industries" emerged in Australia in the early 1990s as part of the conceptualisation of the country's cultural policy ("Creative Nation" - 1992 - 1994), but it experienced international promotion during the first period of "New Labor" rule in Great Britain.
The first step in this process (in 1997) was the re-conceptualisation and renaming of the former Ministry of National Heritage into the Department of Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS). It formed the Creative Industries Unit and Task Force, which initiated two creative industries mapping projects in the country (1998 and 2001), supported their development and, through the British Council, promoted this model worldwide.
According to Nicholas Garnham (2005), the term "creative industries", although often used interchangeably with terms of "cultural industries", got its political and ideological power from the prestige and economic importance attached to the impact of information and communication technologies at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century.
The official definition of the term, coined in its infancy but still in force today, states that "creative industries" are "those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property" (DCMS 2005).
According to British classifications, used in government-organised mapping exercises on the subject, the field of "creative industries" includes the following sectors: advertising, architecture, the art and antiques market, crafts, design, designer fashion, film and video, interactive leisure software, music, the performing arts, publishing, software and computer games, television and radio (DCMS 2005).
As can be seen, creative industries combine activities with a high level of legitimacy, which do not bring much financial gain (like the art and antiques market, the performing arts and music) with activities with a low level of legitimacy, but which open up a vast financial profits (like computer games, interactive leisure software, advertising, designer fashion and television).
David Hesmondhalgh (2002) differentiates between the "core" and "peripheral" cultural industries. Core cultural industries include advertising, marketing, broadcasting, film industries, the Internet industry, the music industries, print and electronic publishing, video and computer games. These activities are centrally concerned with the industrial production and dissemination of cultural "works". In Hesmondhalgh's classification, theatre and the making, exhibition and sale of artworks are seen as "peripheral" cultural industries because they lack the industrial form of production and reproduction.
The economic crisis of 2008 additionally influenced the strengthening of creative industries as a direction of cultural policy. In times of crisis, ministries of culture lose their primary instrument - finance - which is why they are forced to promote different mechanisms of financing culture, in this case, the market.
While creative industries have gained recognition and importance in modern economies and societies, they have also faced several critiques and challenges. Critics argue that the emphasis on economic value in creative industries can lead to the commodification of culture, where artistic and cultural products are treated primarily as commodities for profit rather than expressions of creativity and identity. The gig economy and freelance nature of creative work can result in precarious employment, lacking traditional benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and stable income. Some critics argue that the pressure to generate profit can stifle artistic originality and innovation. Commercial interests may prioritise safe and familiar content over riskier, boundary-pushing ideas. Research also shows that certain groups, such as women, people of colour, and marginalised communities, are underrepresented in creative industries. Finally, while creative industries can generate substantial revenue, and although they are based on individual talents, the benefits may not always be equitably distributed among all participants in the value chain, with larger corporations benefiting more than individual creators. (MP, PC)