culture, what culture?
In my second look back at the figures for the top 10 best selling global artists, I wonder if I’m supposed to be surprised by the results. According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), 2014 saw UK artists at an all time high since they started recording figures in 2000, which currently stands at 13.7% shares.
Should we be surprised by this? Hasn’t music always been something that we’ve exported well? In fact, hasn’t UK culture been something we’ve exported well?
I think the turn of the century saw a drop in our global cultural dominance, but it’s definitely back on the international rise. Who would have thought 10, 15 years ago an Englishman would play one of the most iconic people in American civil rights history (Day-Lewis or Oyelowo, you pick). In Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut set in the burst bubble of the American Dream, we find two British actors taking the lead roles with an Irish actress thrown in for good measure. And Idris Elba is everywhere.
Away from music, film and television, we haven’t done so badly in fashion either. I’m not exactly well versed in the fashion industry, but I can name a few people who are globally recognised – Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham (perhaps the last two have had a helping hand with famous surnames, but the point still remains).
In fact, with regards to fashion and looks, the English gentleman is probably one of our most iconic cultural exports – even if we did more or less force it upon the world. One of my Chinese colleagues tells me that the English gentleman is massive in China.
Another cultural signifier we’ve done exceedingly well at exporting is sport and most notably, of course, football. Once a workingman’s game, football has become the pastime of the masses, especially across Europe and South America. It may not have hit it’s stride in the United States, but everybody stops to watch the World Cup. (Okay, well maybe not everybody)
FIFA is currently in turmoil amidst the corruption scandal, but football remains big business. Latest reports from Deloitte show in the 2013-14 season, Europe’s Big 5 leagues (the English Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga, Serie A from Italy and France’s Ligue 1) made total revenues of €11.3bn, with the Premier League owning over €3bn of that (£3.26bn).
But with all this glory, here comes the reality check. With every new government, the cultural sector is always the first to get cuts. In 1957, the Eady Levy was established to recycle cinema box office money back into the British film industry. In 1985, the government terminated it. In 2000, the UK Film Council was formed to develop and promote film industry in the UK. In 2010, the new government announced the council was to be abolished and in 2011, it closed.
I come from a film and television background so I know more about those industries than music, print and fashion, but it’s not hard to see the amount of bookshops and music stores collapsing and closing. And I don’t believe it’s entirely in light of the digital age – vinyl sales are at a 20-year high.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is facing a £50m budget cut from our latest government, which may not seem like much compared to the Ministry of Defence’s £500m cut, but considering their budget would go on to stand at £33bn compared with DCMS’ £1.2bn, it’s clear to see who’s winning that war.
“hasn’t UK culture been something we’ve exported well?”
Now, I know that people weigh in differently about what sectors need supporting more than others, but I think there’s a big point missing here. The UK used to make stuff. Okay, we still makes a few things, but we’re hardly the manufacturing nation we used to be. One of the few things we still export (and that is still selling internationally) is our culture. If we don’t support the growth of our culture, what have we left to sell to the rest of the world? More importantly, what culture would we have?
Of course, the Conservatives are known to be business minded people and culture is considered a risky investment, so why would they put more money into it if they don’t know what their returns are going to be. It’s not hard to see where all the money in football comes from, but to a certain extent, investors know this game is more or less a sure thing. So, how can you make our other cultural exports reach the same levels?
Perhaps music can become our next “sure thing”. I don’t know if it’s as universal as a group of men kicking a ball around, but it does look as though we’re on our way.