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sym is a beta. Every piece of feedback helps, and we read all of it. We are here for artists, presenters and local music lovers.

sym is a platform for participatory curation in live music. We built it for presenters who want to hear more of the artists who apply to them. We built it for a public that wants a real part in what gets presented.

A presenter's call draws far more applications than a small team can listen to with care. We give that team a fuller hearing of everyone who applied, and we give the public a seat at the listening. An unknown name gets the same hearing as a familiar one, because the process is built for it.

Artists keep one verified profile on sym and submit it to the calls they choose, with their consent given call by call. Audiences declare the genres they want to judge, then listen in randomized sessions drawn from that field, with a share from outside it. They vote on what they heard, one verified voice per person.

For the presenter, the result is curatorial intelligence: more time for consideration, and a record of what their public heard and chose. The vote informs the presenter, who decides. Each call sets its own deliberation: public deliberation, a private jury, or both. The record shows both readings. It belongs to the presenter, and anyone can verify it.

Much of live music is funded with public money. Our wager is that the people it is meant for can take a structured part in how it is spent. Presenters are stronger for having consulted them. Artist data moves only with the artist's consent, call by call, and stays theirs. Each call is judged on its own, by the people who listened.

We are building sym in Montréal, in consultation with presenters and artists. The artist portal is open, and public voting follows.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.