The value of Britain's creative industries to the UK economy is now broadly comparable to that of the financial services sector. And let's not forget, while some record label execs may have fucked off a few bands in their time, none of them have ever sold anyone a dodgy pension scheme, so we're making all that money without ruining anyone's lives. Well, apart from the lives of the bands we build up and then drop, and the kids we sue for file sharing, but they'll get over it, I'm sure. A lot quicker than the old people trying to survive on mis-sold pensions.
Anyway, I digress. The opening statement re the creative industries being darn important comes from a new report published by the Department For Culture, Media And Sport, which argues that the creative economy - which includes publishing, broadcasting, advertising and music - is the UK's "great unsung success story". Which is odd, given how many singers there are in it.
The report, put together by something called the Work Foundation, says that around 7.3% of the UK's annual revenues come from the creative industries, and that the creative sector generates over £4bn of exports annually. That, according to analysis by Unesco, puts the creative sector on par with the financial services industry.
Observer columnist Will Hutton, who is also CEO on this here Work Foundation, observes as follows: "There is no doubt that Britain's creative knack is something to celebrate. The stuff that creates new insights, delights and experiences, that stirs our senses and enriches our lives, is also the stuff that is propelling a larger slice of our economic output. The question is can we continue to supply this growing demand? How we create the architecture that will incubate rather than stunt creative industry growth is a major policy question".