Arts content for the digital era

• Australia Council for the Arts

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02 July 2009Developed in response to the current and anticipated future impact of digital technologies on the arts sector, artists and arts audiences, this is the Australia Council’s blueprint for supporting arts content and its creators in the digital era.

In less than five years, most Australian households and businesses will be able to access data-rich content such as games, TV, enriched social networking and movies, as a result of the Australian government’s roll-out of the National Broadband Network. Most Australian households will also convert to digital television. As uptake of digital technologies increases, these platforms will play a more central role in the production, distribution and enjoyment of arts content. With the shift to online culture come new challenges, opportunities and questions. The strategy addresses:

• How digital infrastructure will affect where and when artists engage with their audiences.

• How traditional artforms - from Indigenous music to literature and the performing arts can use digital technology to push their creativity into new domains and construct engaging audience experiences.

• The new business capabilities required to navigate the emerging business models of the 21st century, to ensure a sustainable future for Australian arts and culture.

• How our arts heritage will be preserved in a digital environment and how it can be made more accessible for future ‘digital native’ generations.