We begin by outlining the four possible primary relations between the creative indus- tries and the rest of the economy. We explain the relation of each model to different theoretical foundations, what we should expect to observe if each model were true, and the appropriate policy framework in each case. Using various mapping documents, we then undertake an initial consideration of a set of data samples connected to the four models. However, this paper does not attempt a comprehensive analysis. For that, a much more rigorous approach to modeling, data and statistical analysis would be required. What we aim to provide here is only a theory of the classes of models involved and an illustration of how different sorts of data might be applied to them. This seems to us a necessary first step (prior to a more rigorous approach) in developing the economics of the creative industries.