The saying goes, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” However, for one Las Vegas-based songwriter, what he does in “Sin City” is blasted out to thousands of people on the radio.
Jason Rylan is the name of this singer, songwriter, and producer. This California-born artist is electrically eclectic. He has an innate ability to blend EDM, electronica, dance, and pop together with a little rock. The result is an amazing amalgam of music. Jason crafts his compositions, so they’re meaning-filled musings written to lift others up.
Jason recently released a new single, Powerless.
In this interview spotlight, we chat about the music, the technology, the challenges, some personal history and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I’m originally from Southern California, Orange County, but I’ve lived in Vegas for about the last 20-25 years. I would say that my style of music is primarily Electronica with elements of Pop and Rock. We also combine many other elements into various songs (such as EDM, House, Dance, dubstep, etc…).
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
I was kind of born into music whereas my Dad and Uncles all played in garage bands growing up. I was always experimenting with various instrumentation and writing (stories, skits, and song ideas). I began experimenting with electronic music in my early to mid-Twenties. When my Dad passed away, it motivated me to professionally record and release a song (“Falter”).
One song kind of multiplied into many until I released three full-length studio albums. I’m currently working on a Fourth studio album. I think what motivates me to keep going is that music is this infinite canvas to explore. And what motivates me even more is knowing how music touches people, lifts us all up, and helps us heal. I’m sure many of us have had that one heartbreak song that was there at just the right time when we needed it.
In my opinion, Music has guided us throughout history both spiritually and socially. Music is the soundtrack to our lives which I find very inspiring. It amazes me to be able to create and be a small soundtrack to someone else’s life or help change their perspective into something a little more positive even if only for a moment.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
“Powerless” is very similar to my 2018 single “Strong” which was written as a tribute to the victims and first responders of the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival shootings. Powerless is a little different whereas I was trying to convey what many of us were (and still are) going through during the pandemic. I was truly trying to capture how stuck many of us felt during the pandemic. One recent reviewer stated that Powerless captured the zeitgeist.
There has been so much anxiety, fear, uncertainty, tension, and angst which has been amplified for many people through the pandemic (myself included). So many people are still unemployed and struggling, and many have suffered the loss of loved ones worldwide. Many entertainers and performers are still out of work here in Las Vegas and in other cities. With this song, my goal was to establish a sense of Hope by choosing not to let all these things get to us. I was trying to convey all of the worries and feelings of helplessness counter balanced with a strong yet earnest sense of resilience. Of course, I could’ve just wrote a song about toilet paper.
Off and on through the Pandemic, I’ve been volunteering with an animal rescue weekly. I was also volunteering at local church distributing food through an organization called Three Square. A few of my colleague’s volunteer with Delivering with Dignity founded by Elaine Wynn, which distributes restaurant quality food to people in need that are sometimes disabled or have difficulty with transportation. I think it’s important to do what we can right now and refuse to feel powerless or stuck.
#RefuseToFeel #Powerless.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Being an indie musician definitely isn’t easy. Over the years, I’ve had the challenge of self-producing my own projects. I don’t have any major investors and finance these projects completely on my own. I would say a full album usually takes me about five years to develop; simply due to managing my time, budgeting, etc.
Another challenge is definitely the over saturation that you mentioned. The world of digital and Indie music has thousands of artists and bands (or more), all trying to get their music and voices heard. This is one of the reasons why I like to have a fresh take on every song and explore combing elements of different genres. I also feel it’s important to produce music with positive or inspiring content that people can relate to.
I also work full time in Las Vegas as a Director for a Ticket Broker which sells all of the major shows. Sadly, we’ve been closed for nearly a year with many shows still dark or at a limited theater capacity which doesn’t even begin to cover operating expenses.
Obviously, the industry is heavily reliant on live productions, touring, and ticketing. As we all know, this has become a huge challenge right now for many musicians and artists during Covid. I think people are completely unaware just how little an artist receives on streams, downloads, and even full album sales. If you like a song or artist, it’s important to support them right now. I have many friends whose livelihood is completely reliant on touring or performing. One friend is doing live concert streams. Another friend adapted by producing drive in shows. These are people that I admire who are innovative, adapt, and refuse to be powerless.
Technology has definitely helped whereas there are many channels besides social media to gain new listeners and reviews. It amazes me when I see reports where my song was picked up by a station or reviewer in another country; or better yet when I receive a message from a listener in another region or country. Again, technology has definitely helped as there is no longer a need to send mixtapes. With a few key strokes, an artist or band can simply send off an EPK to a promoter or station for consideration.
What was the last song you listened to?
Rain on Me, Lady Gaga. I’ve been listening to this song and Dua Lipa quite a bit lately.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Like many, I prefer MP3s. I can’t even remember the last time I purchased a CD. I think it was Born This Way/Lady Gaga. This actually heavily influenced my decision to release Powerless as a digital single. We’re not manufacturing or distributing physical CDs with this release. I have a friend that is really into vinyl right now, but I’m not sure that trend will continue or be sustainable for very long. I think vinyl works for more mainstream artists and bands as more of a collector’s item.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I definitely prefer Bandcamp as more of the proceeds go to the artist or band. Bandcamp also allows people to purchase at the set album price or more if they’d like. For example, if the album is $12 a listener can throw in a few extra dollars and purchase it for $15. It’s kind of like tipping the artist or band.
Many people don’t understand just how little artists and musicians actually receive from the major digital music distributors for streams and downloads. Another preference is for people to download or purchase music directly from an artist website when possible. If someone is downloading a song for a dollar from a traditional distributor, the artist will be lucky to receive anywhere between .05 cents to .25 cents (or a fraction of a cent for a stream). At the end of the day, it’s similar to throwing some change into the guitar case for a street performer. Of course, anything is appreciated from downloads to likes, comments, shares, and reviews.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
The best way to connect and discover more of my music is to visit www.JasonRylan.rocks. If listeners sign up for my artist mailing list, they receive a free download of my song “Strong.” We send out periodic newsletters with tidbits, interviews, new song previews, etc..
Anything else before we sign off?
Couple of things.
We are currently working on video as I’ve been wanting something that really resonates with the song and the times we are in.
We’re also working on remixes (one EDM-style remix is in with the EPK). I have a few DJ friends we’re considering for remixes. In particular, one has done official remixes for Madonna, Beyonce, and quite a few more mainstream artists.
