Pyst launch new fund to develop grassroots music in Wales

Music distribution and promotion services company PYST has announced a new pilot fund aimed at sustaining and developing grassroots music activity in Wales.

Music activity in Wales is flourishing, as evidenced by the growing number of record labels, and this fund will aim to underpin that by supporting organisations that sometimes struggle to access vital support due to their size and nature.

This fund will also enable more activity across the Welsh music industry, widen engagement and participation on a grassroots level and help towards developing the long-term resilience of the Welsh music industry.

The fund will support a broad range of activities; such as recording and marketing records, filming music documentaries and videos, delivering workshops and networking events, writing blogs and magazines, recording podcasts and so on.

This support will enable grassroots record labels and music organisations to confidently plan, deliver and expand on new plans and campaigns.

Mission

PYST is a music distribution and promotion service for independent labels in Wales.

They promote and distribute releases from over 75 independent labels in Wales, and collect and distribute their streaming income.

PYST’s core mission is to promote Welsh music in order to increase engagement and grow its audience, guided by the belief that Welsh music should be accessible to and enjoyed by all.

PYST was established in 2018 and is supported by the Welsh Government.

“Lifeblood”

Alun Llwyd, Chief Executive of PYST said: ‘These organisations – labels and others – are the lifeblood of music activity in Wales, and there has been a gap in funding options for these kinds of activities to date. With vital support from the Welsh Government via Creative Wales, we can pilot this fund and learn more about how we can work together better to sustain this crucial and supportive eco-system.’

Jack Sargeant, Culture Minister, added: ‘This specialist support is vital to the passionate creatives who work tirelessly across all aspects of the Welsh music industry. In supporting content creation, networking and marketing activities I’m hopeful that we can help mobilise the industry further and strengthen grassroots music talent here in Wales.’

The fund will total £75,000 and organisations can apply for up to £5,000 and will be administered by PYST on behalf of Creative Wales.

The fund opens for applications on August 13 and closes on September 3rd with support for activity in all languages considered.

The selection process will be undertaken by an independent panel. The application form and fund guidelines can be found here.

For more information about the fund, contact [email protected].

For more information about PYST, follow us on Instagram, Threads, BlueSky and Facebook at @pystpyst.