Today we’re chatting with Jason Vitelli for Indie Insights on the exploration of instrumental music, how to create for all genres, and why traditional success doesn’t pertain to the arts.
Thanks for speaking with me today! For anyone new to your music, can you introduce yourself and the kind of music you create?
Of course, it’s my pleasure. My name is Jason Vitelli and for over 20 years, I’ve been creating all kinds of music, ranging from folk rock, electronica, jazz, to movie soundtracks. I am about to drop my first instrumental album this month, for which I am extremely thrilled. Coming off releasing the first few singles has been an eye opening experience, as I am discovering a new audience, while my fanbase embraces this new direction.
Fan experience is such an important part of success in the music industry and your music is known for delving deep into this. For instance, “Night Falls” being made to feel like the full experience of a night out at a club, and fully conveys that even with no lyrics. How do you do that?!
Thank you for the compliment! Well, the genesis may originate with my love for soundtracks. When I decide to work on a piece, I will often take a favorite scene from a movie and re-score the action. As I improvise melodies and chord progressions against the video, I feel which ideas pull me into the action and expand upon them. Only after writing the music do I come up with track titles, as I find these musical exploits can conjure up stories of their own without a visual guide. I believe the interpretation of these aural stories are in the eye of the beholder. Whatever a fan gleams from the listening is valid.
What else do you do to ensure you’re giving fans the most immersive experience, whether it’s your live shows or your music?
These days, I often perform shows of my songwriting. To immerse an audience at those events, I will weave a narrative around a set list to give the songs some context. My desire in these shows is to explore some universal themes to which we all can relate. Combining the themes with visual imagery, I also will create lyric videos that I share to social media and YouTube. In contrast to those outlets, I find my instrumental music benefits from a more abstract approach. With them, I will generate clips from a music visualizer tool and edit different visualizations together. The result is often trippy, but also loads of fun to watch. My hope is they can captivate new listeners looking for a unique experience.
This track comes off your album 1. AMBIENT CORRIDORS, which was a departure from your normal sound, is that right? Can you tell me a little more about that decision?
I only needed to decide if I wanted to showcase these instrumentals as a separate part of my catalog. Over the years, I’ve included a few of them in my songwriting albums, especially when I felt a piece had a visceral connection to the track order. Now I have enough material to create some cohesive playlists, each of which I devote to a mood. The numbering of this album shows it’s the first of a series to be released.
Your music has been described as combining various styles and instrumentation to captivate listeners. How do you approach branding from that standpoint? To stay cohesive both visually (Instagram, etc) and through your music while still allowing room to play and grow?
Branding oneself can be a formidable challenge. When developing these ideas, my first instinct is to reach out to people who have an objective viewpoint about my music. But, I really don’t know anyone on a personal basis who can be objective! So I began seeking professionals who could hold a mirror to my artistry and provide much needed assistance in my digital marketing campaigns. Lo and behold, I discovered CyberPR. Their amazing team excavated my brand pillars by analyzing my Instagram feed. Now, when I write posts, I keep a keen awareness of which pillar I want to emphasize. This methodology allows me to bridge my eclectic pursuits cohesively under one roof. Eureka!
How do you handle collaborations or partnerships, and what advice would you give to emerging artists seeking fruitful collaborations within the music industry?
In this century, there are so many more ways of collaborating than anyone thought possible a generation ago. I’ve worked with musicians around the country, each of us being in our separate locations, yet seamlessly collaborating on song tracking. I also have connected to peers the old fashioned way, by jamming out at sessions in the local music scene. In either approach, I find good fortune when people are open minded and supportive of one another. I wholeheartedly advocate a “no asshole” policy when collaborating!
I always like to end these by asking what the biggest misconception you had about the industry when you started was, and what advice you would give to someone just starting out today.
My biggest misconception going into this industry was applying the traditional notion of success to the arts. I found my success cannot be denoted by a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Success to me is achieving an alignment to a greater power. In one example, when I play the music that comes out of me without prejudice, I join with this divine and therefore succeed in that moment. Here are some adages for the new folks on the scene: Trust your gut. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Always be wary of “too good to be true” offers. Seek people who celebrate creativity within you and within themselves. Finally, treat the process of building an artistic career as a marathon, rather than a sprint. Don’t be discouraged, as it takes time to forge one’s path. It is also OK to log in a slower mile to catch your breath. We all need that time to decompress when working hard towards a goal.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Only that I want to thank you for having me and for introducing your readers to my project. I really enjoy talking about my process and hope our discussion can give up and coming artists a road map toward achieving their goals.
Follow Jason Vitelli here.