The tension between cultural objectives and commercial considerations will become even more important in the future as a result of the convergence of the broadcasting, telecommunications, and computer industries. Technological improvements lower the barriers to movement of information and cultural products internationally and this in turn heightens the economic pressures which must be dealt with by those pursuing cultural goals. As well as economic pressures new means of content delivery undermine the ability of regulators to control content. This volume presents the thoughts of Canad’s leading communication scholars on this problem and their suggestions as to how cultural industry researchers should orient their work to deal effectively with the problems faced by the cultural industries in an environment of much more open global competition. Papers deal with cultural foundations, cultural and economic policy, the globalization of cultural industries, special Quebec research issues, Native and multicultural concerns, as well as audience and business research. The essays are reprinted from Volume 19, Number 3-4, a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Communication.