077 The Sectors: Commercial v Subsidized

Convener: David Luff

Participants: About 3

Summary of discussion, conclusions and/or recommendations:

Issues discussed:

- different funding models
- sustainability of both sectors
- ticket prices
- audience figures
- marketing + outreach + audience development

RESPONSIBILITY:
- towards building upkeep
- towards “art”
- towards new audiences and the “young”
- towards society in general
- who should artists answer to?

Partnerships for funding between both sectors and the collaborations that can emerge: e.g. Kneehigh and Pugh& Rogers with Brief Encounter

Where does the Fringe fall? Is it subsidized or commercial?


• Freedom of Artistic Content - which has more freedom?
-Does the need to to adhere to Arts Council priorities restrict the amount of freedom that subsidized companies can expect to have?
- Are commercial producers “freer” in any sense in that they can produce whatever they want, or are they held back due to the need to make a profit?
- Which sector is best placed to create art for arts sake, as opposed to art governed by political objectives, or art decided by popularity?

Ticket prices:
- Should there be a compulsion on commercial producers to always have a certain amount of cheap tickets (e.g. £10) for people? Or for this sector, should market forces always work unfettered – with producers charging whatever they want.

• Fundamentally trying to work out whether creativity can flourish in the commercial sector – in a sector driven by profit? What are the necessary ingredients for creativity?