Saturday, October 31, 2009

Australian Bureau of Statistics: Arts and Culture in Australia: A Statistical Overview, 2009

I was reading with interest the recent report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics concerning arts and culture in Australia. The data provided in the report while addressing a number of different aspects of the participation and purchase of music nonetheless is a collection of data from different periods in time, lacks any real cohesive character and is for the most part incapable of providing a basis on which an overall assessment or analysis can be undertaken. What follows is a summary of some of the main areas the report addresses however it is worth noting that the data is very dated and unrepresentative of the present day situation.

Attendance at Concerts
The following graph notes that popular music concerts in 2005-2006 were the most popular form of entertainment with 25% of people interviewed stating that they had attended a concert in the previous 12 month period. Over 39% of concert goers attended more than one event in a year.

12.1 ATTENDANCE RATES FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS(a) - 2005-06
Graph: 12.1 Attendance rates for the performing arts(a)—2005–06

Forty percent of respondents that attended a popular music concert were within the 18-24 year age group. This reduced gradually with each age group with fewer that 7% of those aged 75 years and over attending a concert.

Wholesale of Music
Disappointingly the ABS have chosen to reproduce the wholesale music statistics provided by the Australian Recording Industry Association for the year 2008-2009. I have written about these statistics before here . Notably however, these statistics do not represent all music sold in Australia rather just those that are members of ARIA.

Household Expenditure on Music
The Australian Bureau of Statistics report that pre-recorded CDs and records are at best in the mid range for items on which Australians spend their household income. Overall Australians spent 4% of the income in the 2003-2004 period on cultural experiences.

3.1 AVERAGE WEEKLY HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE ON CULTURE(a) - 2003-04
Graph: 3.1 AVERAGE WEEKLY HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE ON CULTURE(a)—2003–04

Notably this data does not appear to include digital sales however on average Australians spent $1.60 per week on pre recorded CDs and records and $0.05 per week on cassettes and tapes in 2003-2004. On a yearly basis Australians spent $646m per year on CDs and records and $19m on cassettes and tapes.

Factoring in inflation over the period between 1984 and 2003-2004 there was a gradual increase in the amount of money the average household spent on music followed by a drop. In 1984 Australians spent $0.68 cents per week on music, in 1988-1989 this rose to $1.21 per week. In 1993-1994 this rose again to $1.29 per week, and again in 1998-1999 to $2.07 per week. In 2003-2004 average weekly expenditure on music dropped to $1.65 per household.

Output of Cultural Industries
The output of the Australian cultural industries is quantified through reference to the Australian National Accounts and an earlier report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics titled Australian Industry, Catalogue No. 81550.

The Australian National Accounts indicate that in 2004-2005 pre-recorded audio and video tapes, disks and records that were either manufactured of published amounted to $1.723m or made up 4.1% of all cultural goods and services.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics report Australian Industry, Catalogue No. 81550 further demonstrates the output of cultural industries. Comparing 2006-2007 to 2007-2008, the report provides detailed data with respect to motion picture and sound recording activities breaking the analysis into the following categories: Printing (including the reproduction of recorded media), Publishing (except internet and music publishing), Motion picture and sound recording activities, Broadcasting (except internet), Internet publishing and broadcasting, Library and other information services, Heritage activities and Creative and performing arts activities.


In conclusion the Arts and Culture in Australia: A Statistical Overview, 2009 report is a cobbled together collection of outdated data with a distinct lack of consistency with respect to its collection and analysis. Whilst perhaps useful as independent components this report does little to provide a holistic or useful depiction of Australians involvement in music. This report whilst indicative of the level of production, exposure and consumption of arts in Australia appears to be the only one ever prepared by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and without a history of statistical analysis of these aspects of Australian society and our interaction with the arts it is not possible to make a comparative analysis or establish trends over time. A more useful approach would be a survey addressing each of these issues in turn at the one time with ongoing repetition enabling a far clearer understanding to be gained as to the experiences of Australians with the arts.

Further Information
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 4172.0 - Arts and Culture in Australia: A Statistical Overview, 2009 (21 October 2009) <http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4172.0Main%20Features12009?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4172.0&issue=2009&num=&view=> at 31 October 2009

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Career Suicide in Progress - A Poem For the Brilliant

By Sally J Hawkins
(this is an email I sent today to Larry Brilliant who remains an advisor to Google despite is more recent redeployment to Skoll)

Larry is a brilliant man with talent of depths unknown
He rides the skies of making dreams and seems a wonderful type of guy
There is a young lady sad and lost with many a dream that dies
She needs some help to find her way and therefore in hope she writes

A long and difficult tale goes here but there is simply just not time
To tell the troubles that she has faced and to explain in depth just why
The hand she needs is to relocate to a land where her talent can thrive
And to do just that there is but one last thing to for her to try

A busy parent in a country town in Australia way down south
Is not the place that she needs to be rather Berklee in Boston now
Part way through a PhD in IP/Internet Law
With political music the central focus she hopes to find a new door

A fellowship program, scholarship, a supervisor and a new life
Would only be possible with the help of another like the man to whom she writes
Aspiring for a career that dances to Hammond’s Song of the Unicorn
Challenging the basis of regulation, in Boston she can’t go wrong

In the long term the Future of Music Coalition or academia is for me
But the laws and changes that need to take place are not in my coun-t-ry
The spark within me will never die and I will never quit
A chance from you would mean the world and to make my mark on it

With a smile and a wink this poem is penned (or typed more accurately)
Please write back and let me know if there is any chance you might help me
I have not approached David Kusek but you might if you wish
He is VP of Online Ed and the author of a book not to be missed

Thanks for taking the time to read my plea and listen to what I have said
If it would help my CV can be sent and you can find me on the web
My blog address is listed below and my email on the header
To meet with you or have the chance to talk would also be pleasure.

Yours sincerely

Sally J Hawkins


http://www.ocarr.blogspot.com
http://www.ocaustralia.blogspot.com

Monday, October 5, 2009

Lily Allen's Bull

Just thought to post a link to this great YouTube clip in which Dan Bull comments on Lily Allen's recent statements regarding file sharing and the music industry. Allen has stated in recent weeks that there should be far greater regulation of music sharing. Lily initially supported the introduction of a Graduated Response Scheme in the UK with the ultimate sanction of disconnection. In response, many have suggested that Allen was misinformed about the impact of file sharing on the music industry. Allen has altered her position to support a Graduated Response Scheme that does not include disconnections but rather uses throttling to deter internet users from breaking copyright law. I have written in the past about how even the lesser offense of throttling is a poor policy choice, restricting the ability of users to access legal music just as much as it does illegal music.

The fantastic musical letter from Dan Bull can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL9-esIM2CY

More information:
TechDirt, A Song For Lily Allen... And A Little Conversation (28 September 2009) <http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090927/1825076330.shtml> at 5 October 2009

Digital Music News, The Allen Factor: Suddenly, the Artist Message Gets Modified... (28 September 2009) <http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/092509allen> at 5 October 2009

ZeroPaid, Lily Allen Deletes Anti-P2P Blog, Quits Music for Acting (25 September 2009) <http://www.zeropaid.com/news/87061/lily-allen-deletes-anti-p2p-blog-quits-music-for-acting/> at 1 October 2009

TimesOnline, Blow for music industry as Lily Allen says Peter Mandelson's plans too draconian (25 September 2009) <http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6848502.ece> at 1 October 2009

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit

The FMC are holding a policy summit between the 4th and the 6th October 2009 at Georgetown University in Washington titled “Music, Technology, Policy and Law Go Back to the Future”.

Panel topics will include
Visionary presentations on the music-tech space
Ten years after Napster
Practical tips for musicians
New business models
Future of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act
Intellectual property, privacy & network rights
Possible remedies to the challenges of the sample license clearance process
Screening of Copyright Criminals documentary

For those unable to attend, selected portions of the Summit will be webcast on Monday, Oct. 5 and Tuesday, Oct. 6. Video and audio archives will be made available after the event.

More information can be found here and here.