Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.Written by an internationally renowned expert in the field, Professor Ruth Towse, this book presents a comprehensive yet concise introduction to cultural economics. It covers a broad range of topics in the arts and cultural industries, using the tools of economics to explain their supply and demand, production and consumption. Starting from the 1960s concern about costs and public finance in the performing arts, the subject has developed over the last fifty years to include museums and built heritage, and lately, the wider creative industries and their issues with copyright. This book explains the theoretical underpinnings and reports on the main empirical research on the creative industries, cultural policy, performing arts, heritage, artists' labour markets, copyright, broadcasting, film and music, festivals, cities of culture, creative clusters and economic impact. Key features include: • a unique survey of the main developments in the field• written in straightforward language including explanations of all technical terms• each chapter offers guidance for further reading for those who wish to pursue the subject beyond an introductory level• accessible to anyone with an interest in what drives the creative economy and how the arts are financed.Composed in a succinct and engaging style, this commanding introduction will prove an essential resource for students of business economics and industrial organisation, particularly those with an interest in culture, the arts and the media.