Filer (1986)

Source Details

Filer (1986)
Title:	The "Starving Artist"--Myth or Reality? Earnings of Artists in the United States
Author(s):	Filer, R. K.
Year:	1986
Citation:	Filer, R. K. (1986). The “Starving Artist”--Myth or Reality? Earnings of Artists in the United States. Journal of Political Economy, 94(1), 56–75.
Link(s):	Definitive
Key Related Studies:
Discipline:	O34: Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital
Linked by:	Robinson and Montgomery (2000)

About the Data
Data Description:	Data focused on labor income and came from two subsamples of the US Department of Commerce. One subsample included 32450 artists which corresponded to the census 5% population sample. The second subsample was similarly built for nonartist workers and used as control group. Specifically, earned income represented a mix of rate of compensation and time worked.
Data Type:
Secondary Data Sources:
Data Collection Methods:	Survey Research (quantitative; e.g. sales/income reporting)
Data Analysis Methods:	Descriptive statistics (counting; means reporting; cross-tabulation)
Industry(ies):	Creative, arts and entertainment
Country(ies):	United States
Cross Country Study?:	No
Comparative Study?:	No
Literature review?:	No
Government or policy study?:	No
Time Period(s) of Collection:	1979-1980
Funder(s):

Abstract

"With data from the 1980 census, earnings of artists are investigated. It is found that, contrary to widely held beliefs, artists do not appear to earn less than other workers of similar training and personal characteristics. Artists in 1980 are significantly younger than the general work force, probably because of the rapid growth of the artistic professions in recent years".

Main Results of the Study

Contrary to what is commonly thought, artists do not seem to earn less than other workers. In particular, although authors earn on average $750 per year less than other workers, with an average differential rate of 10%, this rate is lower if we take into account differential patterns of earning increases throughout the lifetime of artists and nonartists. Moreover, artists appear to be younger than other workers and they are less inclined to leave their art job. However, there is a consistent variation among different types of artists and artistic fields.

Policy Implications as Stated By Author

None stated.

Coverage of Study

Coverage of Fundamental Issues

Issue	Included within Study
Relationship between protection (subject matter/term/scope) and supply/economic development/growth/welfare
Relationship between creative process and protection - what motivates creators (e.g. attribution; control; remuneration; time allocation)?
Harmony of interest assumption between authors and publishers (creators and producers/investors)
Effects of protection on industry structure (e.g. oligopolies; competition; economics of superstars; business models; technology adoption)
Understanding consumption/use (e.g. determinants of unlawful behaviour; user-generated content; social media)

Coverage of Evidence Based Policies

Issue	Included within Study
Nature and Scope of exclusive rights (hyperlinking/browsing; reproduction right)
Exceptions (distinguish innovation and public policy purposes; open-ended/closed list; commercial/non-commercial distinction)
Mass digitisation/orphan works (non-use; extended collective licensing)
Licensing and Business models (collecting societies; meta data; exchanges/hubs; windowing; crossborder availability)
Fair remuneration (levies; copyright contracts)
Enforcement (quantifying infringement; criminal sanctions; intermediary liability; graduated response; litigation and court data; commercial/non-commercial distinction; education and awareness)

Datasets

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