Creative Economy

The creative economy began to be talked about more seriously in the world in the 1980s, and in Estonia and other European countries a few decades later. In 2005, the first mapping and analysis of the creative economy was conducted in Estonia. Within this framework an attempt was made to formulate a definition of the creative economy and to define the areas included therein.

Cultural Industries

Cultural industries are the branch of the economy that produces and distributes goods and services, which, at the time of their development, are considered to have a specific characteristic, use or purpose which encompasses or conveys cultural value, regardless of their potential commercial value. These include, but are not limited to, the performing arts, visual arts, cultural heritage, cinema, DVD and video, television and radio, video games, new media, music, books and publications.

Creative Industries

Creative industries include, in addition to the cultural economy, those industries that use culture as an input and have a cultural dimension, but with an output that is mainly functional (architecture, design, fashion, advertising). In Estonia, the term “creative economy” is used in the sense of the terms “cultural and creative economy” or “cultural and creative industry”, which are used in the European Union.

The definition of the creative industries sector is stipulatory, changes over time and varies somewhat from country to country or region to region. In Estonia, the areas and sub-areas of the creative industries sector are as follows: