What the data told us about how the arts are changing, in 2025
This year welcomed reports into the cultural landscape ranging from business models to audience behaviour, and from workforce cond…
Posts
Smaller firms ‘leading the way’ on creative innovation, report finds
Creative ‘micro-firms’ are significantly more likely to carry out research and development (R&D) than micro-businesses in othe…
Establish national philanthropy register and map cultural assets, Creative UK paper urges
The foundation of a national philanthropy register could improve transparency and better measure the success of mixed funding mode…
Arts pricing strategies and the gap between intent and impact
Chief executive of audience development company Thrive, Fiona Bell, explores how the line between concession tickets and discounte…
Creative industries are one of UK’s ‘great unsung success stories’
Creative industry businesses are more likely to be exporters than those across the wider economy, and the gap is growing, accordin…
Pupil-led creativity: Researching the power of music in the lives of autistic children
Artist Alex Lupo, music in education leader Karen Irwin, and researcher Beth Pickard discuss the transformative importance of musi…
Funding boost to address museum attendance divide
University of Leicester’s Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) has been awarded a research grant by the Arts and Hum…
Early-career music professionals relying on ‘gut instinct’ for workplace security
Young people starting out in the music sector are facing “emotional work and exhaustion” and encounter a lack of systemic safe…
Scotland to consider cultural exports service in response to post-Brexit challenges
The Scottish government has announced it will initiate a research project into the worth of establishing a dedicated cultural expo…
‘I would rather theatre survived than it collapsed doing new work,’ sector researcher claims
The “striking” growth of musicals and adaptations as a proportion of British theatre repertoire since the pandemic is not nece…
Creative education provides workplace ‘confidence shield’
Some 65% of performance and creative arts students feel well-prepared for work compared to 46% of other pupils, a report surveying…
More than 500 museums shut in the UK since 2000
Nearly 530 museums across the UK have shut their doors in the last 25 years, the Mapping Museums Lab has discovered. The institute…
ACE’s Covid loan book analysis at risk of ‘inconsistent’ approaches, evaluation reveals
A report into the £474 million loan book established by Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in response to the Covid-1…
Museums require ‘reform’ to harness health benefit potential
A report assessing the impact of an 18-month creative health programme in the museums and heritage sector has found “structural…
Arts workers feel organisations apply free speech values ‘unevenly’, report finds
Funding and regulations are “being weaponised” against those speaking out about the ongoing conflict in Palestine and civil rights…
Culture sector growing faster than other DCMS industries
There were 84,595 businesses in the cultural sector in March 2025, marking a 2.7% rise on the previous year and the highest relati…
Corporate sponsors keen to support arts but face knowledge gap, survey finds
An “untapped” market of eager potential sponsors could unlock “enormous” opportunities for cultural organisations, a survey has re…
Theatres turn to familiar stories as adaptations account for over half of box office post-pandemic
UK theatres have increasingly turned to programming shows based on pre-existing intellectual property (IP), with familiar material…
Together We Act: The power of collective action
The day-to-day working reality of arts marketers has never been so challenging. Cath Hume of the Arts Marketing Association thinks…
West End’s local audiences staying put this Christmas, research finds
Younger audiences are eyeing up a show in London’s theatre district this festive season, according to findings from digital market…
Survey to investigate challenges facing ‘frontline’ arts marketers
A survey aimed at building a comprehensive picture of the financial, political, and ethical concerns currently facing arts and cul…
Manchester to gain dedicated grassroots venues network
Manchester will “lead the way” on supporting grassroots venues, city leaders have promised, following the release of a report find…
Living wage for culture workers could boost economy by £41.6m
Raising all low-paid workers in the creative and cultural sector to a ‘real living wage’ would result in a total economic boost of…
Women in the arts and under-35s more likely to quit sector
Women in the arts are finding work “incompatible” with caregiving responsibilities, a report by the Creative Industries Policy and…
