Broadly speaking, a project falls under creative industries when the intention is not primarily art, but the production of products to sell. A project can also fall into creative industries when the artistic direction is no longer solely controlled by the artist. An artistic project serves the artist’s own vision, whereas a creative industries project is influenced by commercial forces. This includes commissions. When an artist is being commissioned to create a work, they are unable to apply for a Create grant for that work. Instead, the commissioning organization can apply for a Commissioning grant through the Grants to Organizations and Groups program to pay the artist.
Below are some more discipline-specific definitions for creative industries work. Please note that these definitions are not exhaustive. They are meant to serve as guidelines for things that might be viewed as creative industries activities.
Music
Within the Music discipline, the term “creative industries” refers to any project where music is put into a commercial format such as a professional recording or a music video. In cases where an artist’s music is electronic, a studio space can be used to record a component which will be used by the artist in their creation process. For example, renting a studio space and engineer to record drum samples. Studio and engineer costs are ineligible when a full song is being recorded, even as a demo.
“Creative Industries” can also refer to projects where a producer is hired. While the term “producer” has many genre-specific definitions, Arts Nova Scotia defines the role of producer as someone who is employed by an artist or a record label to guide the direction of the artist's music. This guidance might be to enhance its commercial appeal or not, either way, the producer is influencing the direction of the work. If including a producer in your project, it is important to be clear about who they are and what they are doing within the project. The involvement of a producer in a project can cause a project to be viewed as a creative industries activity.
Media Arts
Within the Media Arts discipline “creative industries” refers to projects where there are people or organizations apart from the artist who have creative influence. This includes producers, executive producers, broadcasters, etc. Per the general definition above, artistic projects must be solely guided by the artist. The artist must also retain the copyright of the work. Projects where the artist must give over the copyright to the work are also considered creative industries.
Visual Arts
Within the Visual Arts discipline, which includes Craft, “creative industries” refers to projects where work is produced for the purpose of sale. It also refers to projects where work is being created to serve a vision other than that of the artist, like a commission, for example.
Presentations at events that are commercial in nature also falls under creative industries. For example, events like the Toronto One-of-a-Kind Show.
Literary Arts
Within the Literary Arts discipline, “creative industries” refers to projects where a finished manuscript is being published or prepared for publishing. For example, hiring someone to edit a finished manuscript before publishing.
Theatre/Dance
Creative industries work in the theatre and dance disciplines refers to work designed with a focus on marketability, export potential, and economic impact, often targeting national or international touring and industry-facing presentations. An example of this would be a remount of a large-scale Broadway show by a for-profit entertainment production company.