Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, United Kingdom, 03 November 2026, United Kingdom

This research develops a framework that breaks soft power into a two-stage process. First, sector activities generate subjective psychological responses in international audiences. While the literature describes these in various ways - attraction, credibility, shared identity, trust - we have grouped these into three categories: Affinity (emotional connections), Legitimacy (recognition of compete…

International Labour Organization (ILO), 28 October 2026, International

This dedicated ILO study examines remuneration and working time in the recorded media and live performance subsectors, analysing how project-based work, contractual arrangements, digitalization, streaming and AI are reshaping pay and work organization. Drawing on ILO data, research and stakeholder consultations, it identifies areas for social dialogue and action on adequate remuneration, transpar…

Taylor & Francis, 27 October 2026, Japan

This article investigates the institutionalisation of cultural crowdfunding in Japan as a mode of cultural governance and economic organisation. Drawing on interviews, campaign data, and policy document analysis, it examines how crowdfunding has been reconfigured through public policy mechanisms, including tax incentives, government-led campaigns, and partnerships between cultural agencies and di…

National Endowment for the Arts, 22 October 2026, USA

A new report from the National Endowment for the Arts presents growing evidence on how arts-based approaches, particularly music, can help to address the opioid crisis. Of the 69 unique studies examined in Arts-Based Approaches to Countering the Opioid Crisis: New and Expanded Evidence, nearly 80 percent reported positive findings while the remainder showed mixed or neutral results. No studies re…

National Endowment for the Arts, 07 October 2026, USA

This guide details how federal data can be used to answer questions about the arts and cultural sector and its economic contributions. It covers readily accessible data sources for gathering statistical information within three broad areas of interest.

Arts Council England, 06 October 2026, England

Today, Arts Council England published its first-ever co-created Freelancers’ Handbook, offering practical support to freelancers across the cultural sector, and the guidance for the organisations that work with them.