Cultural Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cultural Industry - Essay Example CULTURAL INDUSTRIES Cultural industries are considered to be integral parts of any society and its demonstration and appreciation of aesthetic qualities. The firms providing cultural and aesthetic products have gained much popularity over the last few decades and have recently been termed as industries. Ever since then, more and more firms have entered the production and distribution of cultural production within the boundaries of capitalism. Development of a profound understanding of cultural industries is crucial for the purpose of distinguishing it from other industries producing and distributing traditional goods. It is also important to delineate what products or firms should not be included in the domain of cultural industries. The term 'cultural industry' denotes several aspects of both the words 'culture' and 'industry'. The debate associated with this term generally encompasses the boundaries that could put a firm or industry into the realm of cultural industries. Also, the combination of word culture with industry makes one get into the understanding of conflicting nature of arts and capitalism. Associating the word industry with culture entails a combination of both the aesthetic and capitalistic notions. Garnham elaborates that in cultural industries, "symbolic forms are in general produced, distributed, and consumed in the form of commodities and under conditions of capitalistic market competition and exchange" (2000, p39). Cultural industries implicate a group of firms that are involved in the commodification of notions such as arts, culture and aesthetics in a pure capitalistic manner. From production to distribution, cultural industries remain... The researcher of this essay states that in modern times, most of the goods and services being produced are given a touch of artistic aesthetics while considering consumer tastes, styles and fashions. This blurs the differentiation between cultural and traditional products for the consumer. This essay begins by defining cultural industries through various aspects and draws them apart from traditional industries. It also divides the conception of cultural products into two distinct categories viz. entertainment and fashion. Finally, the researcher of this essay elaborates the impact that capitalism can have on the promotion and free flow of pure cultural products because of cultural industries. When culture is combined with industry or the notion of capitalism i.e. production and distribution of arts for the purpose of profit, which is mainly achieved through branding and other aspects of marketing, it has profound impact on the promotion of artistic genre. The researcher aims to argu e that not every commercial product can be categorised as cultural a product, because there is a fine and visible line that differentiates these two entirely distinct sectors. The researcher also argue that commercialisation or industrialisation of cultural products hampers the flow of artistic work to consumers in the purest form. In conclusion, the researcher states that commercialisation of cultural products through capitalistic means of marketing and branding has the capacity to restrict the free flow of art from artists to the consumers.