3-year update, new offerings for sponsors, and upcoming price changes
Hint: Subscription prices are going in the same direction as inflation
Hi everyone. Well, it has been (nearly) three years since I started the subscription service for Statistical insights on the arts. Thanks for being along for the ride!
I’ve learned a lot over the past few years. I have continued to find and mine new-to-me datasets, like the one I analyzed in my recent series of articles on government spending on culture (or is that “investment”?). In the next section of this post, you’ll find some of my personal favourites from the weekly posts that I shared over the year.
I hope that you have learned interesting and important things as well. Maybe as much as this paid subscriber…
A few (personal) highlights from the past year
Here are some of the many things that I’m proud to have written about during the past year…
Examining the only data source I know of related to the environment and the arts, culture, and heritage, including a national post and a provincial one.
Delving into Canada's cultural economy, including a comparison with other sectors here, a comparison with government investment here, a general overview here, an arts-specific article here, even more detailed posts that followed (e.g., performing arts), and an in-depth article exploring the ins and outs of these economic statistics.
Examining the hot-button topic of international trade (specifically related to culture, of course), with an overview article, a provincial article, and a trends article.
Continuing my focus on equity-deserving individuals, including here and here.
Analyzing typical wages in the arts, culture, and heritage (nationally, provincially, and provincially again).
Providing a simple yet important graph on government spending on culture, plus a provincial analysis and a trends analysis.
And then there is the vital information that I’ve analyzed for the many custom posts for sponsor subscribers.
Paid subscriptions make all of this possible. Thanks.
New options for “sponsor / shareable” subscribers
My sincere thanks go out to the organizations that have continued to support my work through the highest-level subscription (“sponsor / shareable”). This level allows you to share all posts internally and to have a “custom post” created and distributed. To date, I have created many custom posts for sponsors, typically analyzing data from the 2021 census.
Recognizing that the 2021 census data are getting a bit dated and that there will be no new census data for a few years, I’ve developed new options for the highest-level subscribers. Sponsors can select one of the following options in each year of their subscription:
An analysis of government spending on culture in your province or territory (digging more deeply than I did in a recent high-level post)
An analysis of international trade in culture in your province (digging more deeply than I did in this very high-level post)
A 30-40 minute webinar about key data on culture in your city, province, or territory, based on existing and readily available data. (Travel takes time and money, so an in-person presentation would require a significant supplementary fee and, in some cases, wouldn’t be feasible.)
A high-level analysis of the economic impact of culture in your province or territory (similar to a post I did for the English-Language Arts Network in Quebec, but for a province or territory as a whole)
Continued mining of the 2021 census for information about artists and/or cultural workers (e.g., highlighting the situation of Indigenous and/or racialized artists in your jurisdiction)
Pricing details
Inflation has been crazy over the last three years. I have not adjusted my subscription prices since starting on Substack in 2022. That will change on June 1.
Note that the new prices will kick in on your next subscription renewal. For most of you, that’s the yearly renewal date, which could fall as late as May 2026.
Here are the details:
Monthly: New price of $7.50 (formerly $6)
Yearly: New price of $75 (formerly $60)
Sponsor/shareable: New price of $850 (formerly $750)