The archipelago of cultural and creative industries: A case study of the Basque Country

The cultural and creative industries (e.g., digital/audiovisual content, publishing and print media, etc.) constitute an emerging business sector focused on aligning cultural and creative production with profitability and market criteria that encompasses a diverse range of entities, generates employment, boosts GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and drives innovation. This paper analyses the impact of the cultural and creative industries on the economy of the Basque Country and provides information concerning the number of companies present in this sector, their legal structures, annual turnovers, size in terms of the number of people they employ and relative ability to secure public funding for entrepreneurial support and creative projects. Our findings indicate that businesses of this nature in the Basque Country form an ecosystem similar to an archipelago in which companies with a strong entrepreneurial focus, high annual turnovers and a national and international clientele coexist alongside smaller, less profit-oriented organisations devoted to regional cultural development.