EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Analysis of British creative industries

Analysis of British creative industries - UK

Introduction

An analysis of the characteristics, economic performance and supply chains of the United Kingdom's creative industries.

Description

The report describes the supply chains for each of thirteen creative industries in the United Kingdom (UK). It examines the importance of relationships with large and multinational firms and the role of technological change in driving changes in market structure. It also analyses the performance of a subset of the 13 industries:

the film industry;
the interactive leisure software industry;
the music industry;
the publishing industry;
the design industry; and
the designer fashion industry.

For each industry, the report provides an assessment of economic performance, the drivers of performance, the opportunities and threats, presents a brief case study, and makes international comparisons.

Background information

The UK government’s Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) commissioned the study to provide evidence and analysis to support the work of the Creative Economy Programme (CEP). The creative industries are regarded as an important part of the UK’s economy, and are growing at a faster rate than gross domestic product (GDP) as a whole. The government’s objective is for the UK to become a world leader in the creative industries. The objective of the CEP is to develop a policy approach to grow the creative industries and increase productivity.

Methodology

The research is based on an assessment of a number of data sources, including Standard Industrial Classification data from the Annual Business Inquiry, company accounts relating to firms operating within the creative industries, and industry specific data sources. This was supplemented by consultation with a number of industry bodies and a review of existing evidence, documents and reports.

Conclusions

Four key themes emerged from the analysis:

the creative industries can be grouped into three industry types (production industries, service industries and arts and crafts industries);
the creative process is specialised and highly skilled, with two stages in the supply chain – the creative process, and the production and distribution of end products;
relationships with large and multinational firms are important; and
rapid technological change is driving changes in market structure through the emergence of digital technology and increased international competition.

Contact info

Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS)
Alastair Findlay, tel. +44 (0)20 7211 6958

Publication date

03/08/2006

Researcher

Frontier Economics Ltd

Links

Creative Economy Programme Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS)

Comparative analysis of the UK's creative industries: report to DCMS (PDF, English, 1.4 MB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

Keywords

Specific sectors