The Arts Are Good Business!

A similar story to the last post-the arts are responsible for bringing in some money to a city or community. Maybe this is the line we should take when telling school districts not to cut the arts because they represent future income for the community. Take a look at this story from Tampa Bay Online:

TAMPA - All those concert tickets and Salvador Dali museum souvenirs really add up.
An arts advocacy group said Friday that local arts and cultural institutions pumped more than half a billion dollars into the Tampa Bay area's economy last year, up 30 percent from 1999.
The group, the Tampa Bay Business Committee for the Arts, said the increase reflects the growing role arts institutions play in hiring and spending. Members also stressed that a growing, healthy arts environment is crucial for attracting and retaining businesses and workers.
The study found:
* Museums, arts centers and cultural institutions employed 7,800 people last year, compared with 7,000 in 1999, when the last study was done. The total payroll was $202.7 million in 2004, up from $146.7 million five years ago.
* Direct spending for the arts, which includes ticket sales and souvenirs purchased by patrons as well as day-to- day spending and capital expenditures by arts institutions, came to $270.3 million in 2004, up from $208.3 million in 1999.
* Total spending on the arts - that is, direct spending by arts institutions and patrons, plus the spending by those organization's clients and employees - was $521.3 million, up from $402.2 million in 1999.