UNPLUGGED: The Paradoxes of Culture as a Market, Part 1

Looking at the markets of information, communication and entertainment, or, more specifically, of culture, from a somehow confusing and contradictory perspective. Paradoxes, one may think, are just the normal parameters to define the cultural game. Therefore it is critical to have a closer look, and to collect and analyse facts.

An Update by Rüdiger Wischenbart

The British Prime Minister once famously noticed that in England, “overseas earnings from rock music are bigger than those from the steel industry.”

Culture – or, in a larger sense, the “copyright industries” - have become a major factor for the wealth of nations. In 1999, the core copyright industries contributed an estimated $457.2 billion to the U.S. economy, accounting for approximately 4.94% of GDP. This 1999 contribution represents an increase of 10.9% from 1998.

Altogether, some 1.000 billion dollar’s value based on copyrighted material are created per year on a global scale today. In more profane words, it is a really substantial industry that we talk about.

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