This issue contains 4 sections.
Government and free market
In the Netherlands,art (in all its various forms)is largely produced on the free market, driven by publishing companies, unsubsidised theatre producers and private funds.A considerable proportion of Dutch cultural heritage is moreover privately owned. In 2009, turnover in the arts sector totalled €18 billion.
Around two thirds of this sum was generated on the free market, e.g. in the form of revenue from creative service provision or the entertainment industry. In 2009, the subsidised part of the sector achieved a turnover of around €5 billion.
Any government funding provided is usually intended to facilitate the creation of art that would not otherwise come into being.In the coming years, the government will be cutting the arts budget. From 2013, this will amount to €700 million, or €175 euros per average family. When making the cuts, which will total €200 million, the government will not be slashing grants across the board, but making targeted choices. In this way, the internationally successful top segment of the Dutch arts sectorcan continue to excel. To the government, it is also important thatpeople all over the country should have access to arts and culture.
