ABOUT PYST AND AM
PYST Cyf is a limited not-for-profit company that runs PYST music distribution and promotion (www.pyst.cymru) and AM, a website and app for the arts in Wales (www.amam.cymru)
PYST / AM began life in 2018 as Wales’ first music digital distribution and promotion company. With Welsh Government support, PYST developed quickly and now represents a community of over 75 Welsh labels and has been responsible for a huge surge in global Welsh music streaming: over 30 million streams in the first two years, increasing not only profile for Welsh music but income for Welsh labels and artists.
An understanding of the digital habits of music consumers in Wales, led to the formation of AM in March 2020 (three weeks before Covid!): Wales first digital platform -in the shape of an app and website – for the Arts in Wales. Built on the same ethos of co-operation and community, AM’s initial aims were to promote the digital content of the Arts sector in Wales and build a global digital audience for Welsh Arts. Eighteen months later AM is now home to over 300 artist/creative organisations, has seen over 5500 pieces of content uploaded to the site and crucially has over 200 000 unique users in that period.
PYST / AM has grown since 2018 with the support of Welsh Government: initially as joint funding between the Welsh Language Department and Creative Wales and more recently solely through Creative Wales with recent Cultural Recovery Funding. As a result of WG funding the company now employs five people on a full time basis including Alun Llwyd (Chief Executive), Kevin Tame (Chief Operating Officer) as well as regular freelancers on specific projects.
PRINCIPLES AND STRATEGY
The experiences and insights gained throughout the first two years of our operations have shaped our strategy for growth over the next five years. This new strategy broadens our activities, deepens our impact, strengthens our partnerships and puts in place a theory of change based on the effect of funnelling the powers of existing national cultural and social structures into strategic long-term community development for the mutual benefit of all.
It is based on the following principles:
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Create a new accessible and supportive landscape for creators and arts organisations in Wales based on co-operation and democracy
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Place inclusivity, bilingualism and the environment as the three pillars of that landscape
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Build a new digital audience nationally and internationally for the Arts in Wales – increasing profile and engagement through green and accessible methods.
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Increase accessibility, pathways and participation to the Arts: for creators, organisations and communities.
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Put in place a new approach where community empowerment inspires local creation and engagement ensuring it remains pivotal to future creativity and participation in Wales.
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Nurture the next inclusive generation of future community and national leadership through tailored programmes, apprenticeships and employment policy
The new strategy works across five separate but dovetailed stages, each leading to the next stage’s development. Stages 1 (PYST) and 2 (AM) are already pushing boundaries having been in development for three and two years respectively. Stage 3 (Services) is in its infancy but already in demand. It is now time for the new approaches of community empowerment outlined in Stages 4 (Grassroots Initiatives) and 5 (Spaces) – particularly pertinent in context of Covid-19 recovery and new Welsh Government statements.
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PYST
- AM
- Services
- Grassroots Initiatives
- Spaces
NEW STRATEGY AND ACTIONS
1. PYST
PYST focuses on the digital distribution and promotion of Welsh music in any language and any genre.
PYST currently is the distributor for a community of 75 labels from Wales and has seen Welsh music streamed over thirty million times in the two years of PYST’s existence, increasing incomes to labels (and therefore to artists) and raising the global profile of Welsh music.
Actions
- Grow a digital catalogue and archive of Welsh music for distribution to increase income for Welsh labels whilst retaining and exploiting past and present Intellectual Property (IP).
- Promote using progressive innovative methods to increase the profile and commercial usage of Welsh music in Wales and beyond.
- A ‘one stop shop’ to facilitate and ease the process of releasing music thereby increasing the number of active artists and labels in Wales.
- Embracing partnerships to develop a permanent infrastructure for future artist development and Welsh music in general.
- Develop co-operation tools and a structure to represent all Welsh labels to enable label growth and recognition.
- Undertake specific projects to develop the infrastructure required to grow Welsh language music’s market and audience. For example we have a new pilot project with Mentrau Iaith Cymru encouraging/mentoring new music promoters and new music bloggers at community level.
2. AM
A website and app for promotion of the Arts in Wales launched in March 2020 – just prior to the pandemic.
AM has experienced phenomenal growth in a short period and currently has over 300 different channels from all forms of the Arts in Wales – from national organisations such as the Welsh Books Council to individual visual artists, has over 200,000 unique users and over 5500 pieces of content uploaded to it.
Actions
- Grow new online audiences, consumers and markets for the Arts in Wales.
- Develop a model to offer digital marketing advice and support for creators of digital arts in Wales.
- Develop the concept of a sustainable green Arts community using a shared digital platform to create wealth and audience: a model that can licensed internationally or/and to other areas of interest.
- Increase accessibility to digital Arts for creators and audience. Create accessible content to reflect and promote Welsh Arts in Wales and internationally
- Increase the inclusive content on AM to ensure the arts community is truly reflected and accessible for everyone.
- Develop AM into a dynamic digital platform for community ventures eg community owned pubs, co-operative ventures, community social ventures.
- Partnership projects to increase audiences and improve access to information about the Arts in Wales
3. SERVICES
A marketing and PR service (traditional and digital) for the Arts in Wales.
Actions
*Develop a bespoke marketing and PR service dedicated to promotion of the Arts in Wales able to work with varying budgets.
*Establish a broad and varied client base in terms of genre, nature, geography and type of service worked by us.
*Create a skills development pathway utilising staff, freelance workers and work experience/apprenticeships.
4. GRASSROOTS INITIATIVES
Promoting community Arts events and initiatives that run both physically and digitally, focusing on community empowerment, accessibility, youth participation and mentoring/training. Encouraging the organic growth of Arts activities in community which will create the foundations of a growth in national arts and social creation and engagement.
Actions
- *AM Gigs to encourage more live music at a community level as well as mentoring programmes to encourage new leaders, promoters, bloggers/writers and employment. This will also lead to live music returning to several parts of Wales.
- *Emphasis on creation within the community to foster community Arts and local opportunities to empower new/young creators.
- *Develop the number of live Arts events in all parts of Wales with emphasis on deprived areas where Arts events do not traditionally take place and Welsh language events.
- *Bridge the divide between the ‘national’ Arts sector and communities across Wales by hosting AM events in partnership with specific AM channels encouraging additional working partnerships.
5. SPACES
We aim to develop/ open Spaces that will be local offices for PYST, AM, Services and Grassroots Initiatives, but will also act as small venues for Arts activities and the creation of digital content, focusing on talent and skills development at a community level. Spaces could be bilingual or Welsh language only. Dependent on the space we can provide, they could also house some of AM/PYST’s partner organisations and other relevant partners to the vision, creating a new model for community arts spaces: buildings to house a newly-created demand for meaningful co-operation both digitally and physically. Also dependent on space, these Centres could house remote working local hubs or Creative Industries hubs in alignment with Welsh Government policy.
Actions
- Improve the effectiveness, promotion and reach of AM, PYST and Services at a local level.
- Kick-start Arts activity in deprived areas where, for various reasons, creation and engagement with the Arts has declined.
- Meaningful partnerships created at a local level to promote cultural and economic development. This will in turn increase usage of other local facilities, increase footfall and local spend in the economy aligning with the aims of Welsh Government’s Town Centre’s First Principle. In line with our environmental aims, we would look to utilise existing and/or empty existing buildings.
- Devolution of the Arts through a process of cultural democracy as direct community access is created for us and all partners.
The strategy aligns itself with several Welsh Government priorities noted in their Programme for Government as well as The Well Being of Future Generations Act, Well Being Objectives, Cymraeg 2050 and The Race Equality Action Plan for Wales. AM is also named as a key organisation in the Labour-Plaid Cymru Co-operation Policy Document.
BOARD
As a result of this new strategy we are looking to expand our Board by looking for new members who have skills, experience or/and particular interest in the following areas:
Digital Marketing
Commercial Development
Education
Community Networks
Literature
Legal
Theatre and Performance
Fundraising
Music
Partnerships
PYST and AM hold core values and aims of reflecting an inclusive Wales through our governance, content, operations and partnerships. To further implementation of these aims we especially welcome applications from sectors of the community who have been historically under-represented at Board level in the creative and arts sectors: in particular people with protected characteristics, in particular women, those from ethnic minority communities, those identifying as trans and non-binary and those with disabilities.
We also aim to provide new experiences and welcome applications from young people who may not have prior Board experience. We will offer full training and support for such situations
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
Contributing to strategy and policy decisions, setting aims and targets and evaluating the overall success of both PYST and AM in context of the stated strategies.
Ambassadors for both PYST and AM, seeking new partnerships and opportunities to further improve our effectiveness and impact
Monitoring of financial situation and implementation of Governance according to the company’s Articles
Monitoring and support to the Chief Executive Office and Chief Operating Officer.
Maintain confidentiality on all matters discussed at Board level or included in Board papers.
REQUIRED SKILLS
Board meetings are held through the medium of Welsh although we are open to providing translation services if required in a particular situation.
An interest in creativity and making a difference.
But mainly we are looking for passion, energy and belief in the work that we do and the unlimited potential there is to that work.
TIME COMMITMENT
The Board meets every two months – presently via Zoom.
There is no remuneration but we will cover any reasonable costs incurred whilst undertaking Board duties or work.
We do however offer any Board members who are freelancers a fee of £150 for every Board meeting.
We will also offer a session with our lawyer to guide new Board members through the responsiblities and implications of the position.
If you would like to chat further prior to making an application or if you have any queries then please email Alun, CEO of PYST Cyf at alun@pyst.net
HOW DO I APPLY?
Please send a letter outlining why you are applying and what you feel you can bring to the Board. Please let us know as much as possible about yourself and your interests – this can take the form of a separate attached CV if you prefer.
Please email all applications to alun@pyst.net by 6pm, March 21st