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Copyright and the arts: growth in copyright enquiries

It is not always possible to have up-to-date or current data for statistical purposes. Some Australian Bureau of Statistics surveys are conducted on a regular basis: monthly, annually or every few years. Other major data collections such as the Census of Population and Housing are of a great scale and are only conducted every five years.

Other statistical analyses, such as the Australia Council’s The Arts Economy 1968–1998: Three Decades of Growth in Australia (Guldberg 2000) are major one-off studies that are so far-ranging, they can only be commissioned on a periodic basis. Although at first glance it may appear dated, this analysis gives an important historic perspective on the current state of the arts in Australia.

The Australian Copyright Council was established in 1968 to assist artists in protecting their creative output. Historically, demand for services was measured by telephone and mail enquires for its services. This was first measured in 1974.

According to The Arts Economy, the Australian Copyright Council received 241 enquiries in 1974. By 1998, this figure had jumped to 13,400.

Number of enquiries to the Australian Copyright Council, 1974–1998

Year	Number of enquiries
1974	241
1975	375
1980	2,960
1985	6,317
1990	9,735
1995	12,042
1998	13,400

Source: Australia Council, The Arts Economy 1968–1998: Three Decades of Growth in Australia (Guldberg 2000).

In 1998, 38 per cent of enquiries pertained to written materials. A further 30 per cent concerned visual arts including photography, design and craft. Music accounted for 15 per cent of enquiries.