{"id":805,"date":"2005-02-28T00:38:56","date_gmt":"2005-02-28T04:38:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theoreti.ca\/?p=805"},"modified":"2005-02-28T00:38:56","modified_gmt":"2005-02-28T04:38:56","slug":"new-media-highlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theoreti.ca\/?p=805","title":{"rendered":"New Media Highlights"},"content":{"rendered":"

The “Highlights of the Literature Review” of Face of the Future by the Cultural Human Resources Council<\/a> has a section on the new media industry which has an interesting subsection on definition. One of the key problems with this sector is defining it. Does it include the ICT (Information and Communications Technology), for example? Or is it just the creation, production, and distribution of content?
\n
\nHighlights of the Literature Review 29
\n7. NEW MEDIA
\n7.1 General Findings
\n_ The new media industry is young, growing rapidly and difficult to define; in Canada, this
\nsector represents a small market.
\n_ The industry encompasses arts, science and technology, and has an impact on economic and
\nsocial sectors \u00f1 culture, entertainment, education and training, health, communications, and
\ntrade. Artists are involved at all levels.
\n_ Collaboration on the part of stakeholders (creators, performers, workers, employers,
\ngovernment, training institutions) is a key factor in the success of this industry at the
\ninternational level.
\n_ There is a great need for financial support, both public and private.
\n_ With the explosion of new technologies, the new media sub-sector holds great market
\nopportunities for artists, but also presents some of the greatest challenges.
\n_ With new media eroding traditional boundaries between artistic media and global
\ncommunications dissolving geographic borders, creative content is being dealt with in a
\ncomplex and rapidly changing environment where there are few established guideposts.
\n7.2 Definition
\n_ Often called \u00ecdigital media\u00ee or \u00ecmultimedia\u00ee, new media has been variously defined as
\neither:
\n\u00ef artistic forms and outputs that are entirely new; or
\n\u00ef new means and methods of creating, presenting, preserving, promoting or distributing
\nwhat are essentially traditional products or outputs from cultural industries
\n\u00ef the federal government has adopted the following definition:
\n\u00ecNew media [involves the] growing use of three essential elements: digitization,
\ninteractivity, and interconnected networks\u00d6 The combination of the first two elements
\n(and increasingly the third element) separate \u00ebold\u00ed from \u00ebnew\u00ed media.\u00ee
\n_ The absence of a common definition represents a major challenge when one attempts to
\nidentify policies, analyze the sub-sector or manage its growth.
\n7.3 Profile of the Industry
\n_ Although the evolution and growth of the new media make it difficult to quantify and
\nanalyze this sub-sector, the literature reveals the following:
\n\u00ef In 2002, there were 2,300 companies related to this sector in Canada, and total revenue
\nwas approximately $3.5 billion.
\nFace of the Future: A Study of Human Resources Issues in Canada\u00eds Cultural Sector
\nHighlights of the Literature Review 30
\n\u00ef Close to half these companies have less than 10 employees, and another third have
\nbetween 10 and 30 employees.
\n\u00ef Over half serve the American market.
\n\u00ef About half derive 100% of their revenue from multimedia related activities.
\n\u00ef The sub-sector appears to be dominated by small businesses, and there does not seem to
\nbe a generic business model.
\n\u00ef There is a trend toward concentration in three provinces: Ontario (40%), Quebec (28%)
\nand British Columbia (13%).
\n\u00ef Although it is still growing, the industry is presently going through a period of
\nconsolidation (mergers and acquisitions).
\n\u00ef There are numerous challenges in terms of human resources and marketing.
\n\u00ef Although there is some degree of presence on the international scene, very few products
\nhave Canadian content. American interests dominate the market.
\n7.4 General Trends
\n_ Economic preoccupations and emphasis on profitability in this sub-sector create some
\nconcern that there is a shift in the value of the artist in our society from \u00ecartist as creator\u00ee
\ntowards artist as \u00ecfacilitator\u00ee of job creation and return on investment.
\n_ The Internet is increasingly becoming a point of convergence. This presents not only the
\nchallenge of access to high-speed networks, but also that of controlling content, production
\nand distribution.
\n_ Within the context of globalization, the sub-sector is faced with the challenge of reflecting
\nCanada\u00eds cultural diversity by maximizing Canadian content.
\n_ The major financial requirements involved represent a huge challenge to creators, who are
\nobliged to turn to government support.
\n_ In terms of distribution, there is no shortage of major challenges and questions, as four or
\nfive huge foreign production\/distribution companies control 80% of the Canadian market.
\n_ With the Canadian market extremely limited, the industry must increasingly rely on
\nexporting, which raises a major issue of financing.
\n_ The Interactive Multimedia and Technology Association (IMTA) believes that the best
\nstrategy for accessing markets is based on creative planning and cooperation between
\nstakeholders, combined with effective coordination.
\n_ In order for creators in the industry (who are most often self-employed or workers in microcompanies)
\nto carve out a position in this world of behemoths, they will have to group
\ntogether, forming alliances and partnerships.
\n7.5 Intellectual Property Rights
\n_ The protection of artists\u00ed intellectual property rights is threatened by the development of
\nnew media, as much of the debate surrounding electronic commerce and the new economy
\nhas taken place with little attention to their interests or circumstances.
\n_ The Copyright Act, while it has evolved, is not the only means to ensure protection of
\nintellectual property. Among other safeguards are:
\n\u00ef the development of universal standards regulating production, distribution and licensing
\nagreements;
\n\u00ef effective advocacy by arts organizations for the protection of their members; and
\nFace of the Future: A Study of Human Resources Issues in Canada\u00eds Cultural Sector
\n\u00ef the control of access to and reproduction of protected works through the implementation
\nof effective technological tools.
\n7.6 Human Resources
\n_ Most workers for companies in the sector are male.
\n_ Difficulty in recruiting is related to a lack of qualified candidates, competition between
\ncompanies (turnover) and salary demands.
\n_ The highest salaries are paid to project managers, integrators and then artistic directors.
\n_ The vast majority of positions in this milieu require university education.
\n_ The great majority of workers are located in the country\u00eds major urban centres.
\n_ In 1999, in Canada:
\n\u00ef 33% of employees were hired on a contract basis
\n\u00ef 26% of employees worked in the creation department.
\n\u00ef 22% worked in the technical department.
\n\u00ef 20% worked in the management department.
\n_ We see artists, universities and industries creating alliances to attract research and
\ndevelopment sites (Hexagram, Studio XX, Banff New Media Institute).
\n_ In artists\u00ed centres devoted to media arts and new media, women are much more active than
\nin the industrial or commercial settings of the sub-sector.
\n_ The use of new technologies represents an effective and appropriate response to the need
\nfor training and exchanges of artists and cultural workers living in isolated or minority
\ncommunities.
\n_ Among training and professional development needs are the development of skills in
\nbusiness, marketing, exporting, international law and artistic product distribution.
\n7.7 Avenues for Analysis
\n_ Work to arrive at a common definition of \u00ecnew media\u00ee in order to foster more consistency
\nin the development of policies and management in the sub-sector.
\n_ Analyze artists\u00ed roles and contributions in the definition and establishment of development
\npolicies and strategies in the industry.
\n_ Analyze training needs and solutions to the problems of skills shortages in the sub-sector.
\n_ Analyze issues of inclusiveness of artists from Canadian aboriginal and minority
\ncommunities.
\n_ Investigate the government support required to support emerging partnerships in the
\nindustry to counter-balance the domination of the industry by large corporations.
\n_ Generally update the existing data to reflect the current reality of the sub-sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The “Highlights of the Literature Review” of Face of the Future by the Cultural Human Resources Council has a section on the new media industry which has an interesting subsection on definition. One of the key problems with this sector is defining it. Does it include the ICT (Information and Communications Technology), for example? Or … Continue reading New Media Highlights<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education-and-administration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theoreti.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theoreti.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theoreti.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theoreti.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theoreti.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theoreti.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theoreti.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theoreti.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theoreti.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}