Introduction

The global frameworks organises cultural trade—such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the World Trade Organization and the Multilateral Agreement on Investment within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development—raise complex issues in measuring value. The history of related debates about cultural/creative economies and cultural policy is worth briefly reflecting upon, especially the broader shift from arts to cultural policy, and what this implied for activities on the ground. While cultural exports can constitute goods and services, a significant proportion of music exports exist within rights: The bundle of royalty payments derived from performance, composition, synchronisation of live and recorded works allowing various parties the rights to exploit particular works. While the United States might enjoy significant exporter status across audiovisual goods, the table is a reminder of the substantial amount of creative goods it imports. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.