Cultural sector
Culture has both a material and non-material dimension. The definition of the Cultural Sector must focus upon material culture, and we understand this to be the sum of activities and necessary resources (tools, infrastructure and artefacts) involved in the whole 'cycle' of creation, making, dissemination, exhibition/reception, archiving/preservation, and education/understanding relating to cultural products and services.
The range of activities defined as 'cultural' is fluid and changing. However, at their most inclusive, we recognise the Cultural Sector to cover the following seven 'domains':
- Audio-Visual (includes film, TV, radio, new media and music)
- Books and Press
- Heritage (includes museums, libraries, archives and historic environment)
- Performance (includes theatre, arts and dance)
- Sport
- Tourism (includes gambling and betting activities)
- Visual Arts (includes galleries, architecture, design and crafts)
In addition to the above seven domains included in the standard definition of the Cultural Sector, there are two important sub-sectors which are not explicitly mentioned because they are comprised of a number of the above domains. They are:
- Arts (this sub-sector is defined as the Visual Arts domain + the Performance domain)
- Creative Industries (this sub-sector is defined as the Audio-visual domain+ the Books and Press domain + the Performance domain + the Visual Arts domain)
The umbrella definition, which utilises the production chain approach, enables researchers and policymakers to see the totality and interrelations of an industry or domain. It provides an overarching conception of the various functions (through the production chain cycle) that constitute a particular industry or domain.
More detailed information can be found in the technical report.
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Audio-Visual
Encompasses interactive media, which covers leisure software, digital art and new media activities. Classifying Interactive Media under the Audio-Visual domain is consistent with the approach of the Sector Skills Council for Audio-Visual industries, Skillset. Advertising is also included because of its linkages with other elements of the audio-visual domain e.g. commercial broadcasting. Audio Visual Art activities as defined in the framework include:
- Creation of cinematographic works and audio-visual (non-cinema) works
- Creation of advertising materials
- Creation of musical works
- Creation of multimedia works
- Production of relevant capital and consumer goods (e.g. sound mixing desks, broadcast transmission equipment, cinema projectors etc.)
- Performance activities of music groups, orchestras, and companies
- Production of films for the cinema
- Production of films (non-cinema)
- Production of radio programmes
- Production of television programmes
- Production of commercials (TV, radio and cinema) and outdoor and press advertising materials
- Production of music, sound and audio-visual recordings
- Production of multimedia works (inc. leisure software, digital arts and new media)
- Services relating to the production of musical, broadcast and multimedia works (including agents, managers, and promoters)
- Media buying, planning and evaluation
- Dissemination of activities of concert halls and music venues
- Distribution of film
- Distribution of recorded music
- Distribution of multimedia works
- Cinema management
- Organisation of festivals and fairs
- Radio broadcasting
- Television broadcasting
- Trade/sales in music, sound and audio-visual recording
- Trade/sales in multimedia works
- Education and training activities
- Activities of specialist press/media; criticism etc.
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Books and Press
There are strong cross-linkages between Books and Press and Heritage, principally through the operation of libraries and archives, which depend on artefacts that are created and made within the Books and Press domain. Books and Press activities as defined in the framework include:
- Creation of literary works (activities of authors)
- Drafting of articles for newspapers, magazines and periodicals (activities of journalists)
- Book production
- Production of relevant capital and consumer goods
- Newspaper, magazine and periodical production
- Activities of press agencies
- Activities of literary agents
- Organisation of book/reading festivals and fairs
- Trade/sales in books
- Trade/sales in press publications
- Event organising and awareness raising (including amateur training)
- Education and training activities
- Activities of specialist press/media; criticism etc.
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Heritage
Heritage has strong linkages with all the other domains within the Cultural Sector. The artefacts of cultural heritage are largely created and produced within other cultural domains. The key linkages are; the dissemination function that libraries fulfil (with particular reference to books and press and audio-visual), the archiving/preservation function of museums, libraries and archives (particularly relating to visual art and books and press), the exhibition/reception function of museums and historical monuments and buildings (in particular reference to visual art). Heritage activities as defined in the framework include:
- Dissemination function that lending libraries fulfil (with particular reference to Books and Press and Audio-Visual)
- Archiving/preservation function undertaken by museums, libraries and archives (particularly relating to Visual Art, and Books and Press)
- Exhibition/reception function of museums and historical monuments and buildings (particularly relating to Visual Art)
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Performance
Performance does not include music, as it has much stronger organisational and production chain links with the functions of the Audio-Visual domain rather than purely performance-based arts. Performance activities as defined in the framework include:
- Creation of theatrical, choreographic and circus works
- Production of live entertainment
- Activities of companies (dance, theatre, circus etc.)
- Services relating to the production of live entertainment (including agents)
- Dissemination activities of dance theatres, drama theatres etc.
- Organisation of festivals (dance, theatre etc.)
- Event organising and awareness raising (including amateur training)
- Education and training activities
- Activities of specialist press/media, criticism etc.
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Sport
This is a broad definition that reflects the transformation of sport and sports training activity into a wider arena of sport, fitness/health and physical recreation activities. This is consistent with the approach of Sport England and internationally in Australia. Sports activities as defined in the framework include:
- Sporting and fitness & health professionals (activities of participants, trainers and instructors)
- Services relating to sporting and fitness and health activities (including agents, promoters and managers)
- Activities of sporting clubs and associations
- Activities of gyms and health clubs
- Operation and maintenance of sporting and fitness and health infrastructure (including stadia, playing fields and leisure centres)
- Production of relevant capital and consumer goods (e.g. sporting and fitness and health equipment)
- Trade/sales of sporting and fitness and health equipment
- Event organising and awareness raising (including amateur training)
- Education and training activities
- Activities of specialist press/media; criticism etc.
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Tourism
Tourism is qualitatively different from the other domains within the Cultural Sector, as it cannot be readily classified as a sector in the traditional sense, i.e. as measured by either particular market or industrial outputs. Instead it is better understood as a demand driven, consumer defined activity. As such without wishing to include activities in more than one domain only 'core' tourism activities that do not appear in other domains are included in this domain. The DET definition of activities includes gambling. This is not a clear fit as the links between bookmaking and tourism are mainly tangential, but activities such as bingo and casinos have a clear correspondence with other visitor attractions within the domain. Tourism activities as defined in the framework include:
- Tour agents, tour booking and operators (including charter firms)
- Tourism promotion (activities of tourist boards and local authorities)
- Operation and maintenance of tourist infrastructure (including accommodation, theme parks and visitor attractions)
- Operation of licensed restaurants and nightclubs (excluding pubs)
- Production of relevant capital and consumer goods (e.g. funfair rides, coin-operated arcade machines, caravans etc.)
- Event organising and awareness raising (including amateur training)
- Education and training activities
Activities of travel and tourism press/media; criticism etc.
- Gambling activities
- Standard Industrial Classifications
- Standard Occupational Classifications
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Visual Arts
Which in addition to painting and sculpture also encompasses a range of primarily visually based creative design activities (fashion, interior, architecture, graphic and product design). Crafts have also been included for the reason that it is an increasingly design led activity. Art and antique market is also included given that the bulk of traded artefacts are either visual art works or traded due to the value of their visual design component. Visual Art activities as defined in the framework include:
- Creation of visual works (including sculpture and crafts)
- Design-based activities (fashion, interior, building (a.k.a. architecture), graphic and product design)
- Production of visual works (including printed reproduction and production of casts)
- Production of relevant capital and consumer goods (e.g. artists' paint and materials)
- Exhibition of visual works
- Organisation of festivals
- Event organising and awareness-raising (including amateur training)
- Trade/sales in visual works and antiques (art galleries and auction houses)
- Trade/sales in reproductions and casts
- Education and training activities
- Activities of specialist press/media, criticism etc.
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Creative Industries
A broad definition of the creative industries is those goods and services in the creative sector: advertising, architecture, art and antiques, crafts, design, designer fashion, film and video, interactive leisure software, television and radio, performing arts, music and software and computer services which feature original creativity and generate intellectual property with a potential for wealth and job creation.
Within the context of the framework the activities of these industries are spread across a number of domains, namely Performance, Visual Arts, Audio-Visual and Books and Press. As a result of this anomaly, any data requirements on the Creative Industries will need to draw from each of these domains. Creative Industries activities as defined in the framework include:
- Creation of cinematographic works and audio-visual (non-cinema) works
- Creation of advertising materials
- Creation of musical works
- Creation of multimedia works
- Production of relevant capital and consumer goods (e.g. sound mixing desks, broadcast transmission equipment, cinema projectors etc.)
- Performance activities of music groups, orchestras, and companies
- Production of films for the cinema
- Production of films (non-cinema)
- Production of radio programmes
- Production of television programmes
- Production of commercials (TV, radio and cinema) and outdoor and press advertising materials
- Production of music, sound and audio-visual recordings
- Production of multimedia works (including leisure software, digital arts and new media)
- Services relating to the production of musical, broadcast and multimedia works (including agents, managers and promoters)
- Media buying, planning and evaluation
- Dissemination of activities of concert halls and music venues
- Distribution of film
- Distribution of recorded music
- Distribution of multimedia works
- Cinema management
- Radio broadcasting
- Television broadcasting
- Trade/sales in music, sound and audio-visual recording
- Trade/sales in multimedia works
- Creation of literary works (activities of authors)
- Drafting of articles for newspapers, magazines and periodicals (activities of journalists)
- Book production
- Production of relevant capital and consumer goods
- Newspaper, magazine and periodical production
- Activities of press agencies
- Activities of literary agent
- Trade/sales in books
- Trade/sales in press publication
- Event organising and awareness raising (including amateur training)
- Creation of visual works (including sculpture and crafts)
- Design-based activities (fashion, interior, building (aka architecture), graphic and product design)
- Production of visual works (including printed reproduction and production of casts)
- Production of relevant capital and consumer goods (e.g. artists' paint and materials)
- Exhibition of visual works
- Organisation of festivals
- Event organising and awareness-raising (including amateur training)
- Trade/sales in visual works and antiques (art galleries and auction houses)
- Trade/sales in reproductions and casts
Activities of specialist press/media, criticism etc.
- Creation of theatrical, choreographic and circus works
- Production of live entertainment
- Activities of companies (dance, theatre and circus etc.)
- Services relating to the production of live entertainment (including agents)
- Dissemination activities of dance theatres and drama theatres etc.
- Education and training activities
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Arts
Similarly, the activities of the Arts sector are also not confined to just one domain. Instead they are spread across the Visual Art and Performance domains and as such all data requirements on this sector will need to draw from both domains. Arts activities as defined in the framework include:
- Creation of visual works (including sculpture and crafts)
- Design-based activities (fashion, interior, building (aka architecture), graphic and product design)
- Production of visual works (including printed reproduction and production of casts)
- Production of relevant capital and consumer goods (e.g. artists' paint and materials)
- Exhibition of visual works
- Organisation of festivals
- Event organising and awareness-raising (including amateur training)
- Trade/sales in visual works and antiques (art galleries, auction houses)
- Trade/sales in reproductions and casts
- Activities of specialist press/media, criticism etc.
- Creation of theatrical, choreographic, circus works
- Production of live entertainment
- Activities of companies (dance, theatre and circus etc.)
- Services relating to the production of live entertainment (including agents)
- Dissemination activities of dance theatres, drama theatres etc.
- Education and training activities
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The Cultural Cycle
The notion of the culture cycle can be thought of as analogous to a production chain or network. A production chain is basically the steps or cycle that any product or service goes through to transfer it from an idea through production, distrinbution and exchange to final consumption. At each step or link, a transformation takes place.
Like a chain, each link is dependent upon, and often interactive with the other links in the chain. Thus the production of goods and services always happens in a context - an idea is nothing without a site for exchange or an end consumer or use.
The DET identifies six processes of cultural production: creation, making, dissemination, exhibition/reception, archiving /preservation and education/understanding which establish the depth of each domain .
The cultural cycle table (PDF 21kb) gives an indication of the types of statistical and other data that you may collect under each function or activity. It is essentially a 'wish list' of information as in many cases this information is not available at present. However with the continued development of the toolkit it is envisaged that this data will be available in time. Users are encouraged to collect data to populate each link in the chain.
Some of the data requires the identification and use of SIC codes which are listed by domain in the Standard Industrial Classification table e.g. data on economic performance and employment. This table is not yet fully comprehensive in terms of SIC codes for these sectors. It is, however a list of what is currently available and we recommend you use these.
Other data will not require SIC codes e.g data about qualifications, skills, spend, attendance and participation.
Everything you require to obtain your data can be accessed via the data sets pages.
Qualitative research and information is being collated into a database (this will be available shortly via the web).
