By Gregor Boyd
The Creative Industries are a huge player within the UK’s economy which generates billions in revenue each year, The key areas being London, The Northwest, and the Southeast of England.
But what exactly is Scotland’s contribution to the UK’s creative sectors? According to gov.scot, the creative industry is one of Scotland’s fastest-growing sectors.
According to the Office for National Statistics, Scotland’s highest contribution to the creative sector appears to be within the IT industry massively outperforming the other sectors with the lowest performing sector being the Craft sector followed by Museums & Galleries.
Within the IT sector sits the Games Industry, a behemoth.
Scotland is home to several games studios as well as leading universities offering courses on Games Design.
Dundee has in the past been dubbed the video game capital of Europe (as well as the drug death capital…).
However, it has cemented its status within the video game industry as the home of Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto as well as bringing Minecraft onto consoles.
In more recent years Rockstar North has shifted itself to headquarters in Edinburgh. Dundee’s future as a game’s mecca is ongoing but not unrecognised. With future planning proposals to build an E-sports gaming arena as well, Dundee aims to cement itself as a key industry player for gaming.
All around roughly the same turnovers are Publishing, Design, Architecture, and Performing Arts. Sectors that are essential to Scotland’s goals of competing on the world stage
In Music & Performing Arts. Scotland’s nightlife tourism industry is essential to the growth and regeneration of towns and cities. Huge artists frequent venues throughout Scotland as well as smaller acts tour up and down the country providing residents in more urban areas with valued nightlife experiences.
The economic benefit is felt throughout bars, pubs, clubs, and hotels. The Runrig concert brought an estimated 45,000 fans from all over the world to Stirling with an estimated £ 7 million benefit to the local economy. A great success model for building on future events.
Though in recent years, the night-time economy has been suffering due to the Covid-19 Pandemic which led to several businesses having to close their doors temporarily. Combined with the cost-of-living crisis, the night-time economy is going to suffer seriously.
The UK is a global powerhouse when it comes to producing content for movies or television. Above is a breakdown of the Film Industry breakdown for Scotland, showing that the bulk of the turnover is generated through motion pictures.
Glasgow became an ideal filming location for some films over the past few years, most notably the Matt Reeves blockbuster adaption of Batman in which Glasgow was used as the murky backdrop of Gotham city. Several iconic locations were used throughout the film with the most recognisable being the Necropolis used at the end of the film. The cancelled Batgirl film was also filmed in Glasgow just recently with it being noted that Glasgow Council paid to have Warner Bros shoot the entire production in the city.
Forecasts done by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) have found that the UK Creative industry is set to grow to be worth £97bn in revenue by 2026.
If the UK as a whole is to tackle the financial despair it’s been in for several years now. It needs to embrace the creative economy for the powerhouse it ought to be recognised as.