Meet Ross Major | Founder and director of Rhythm City Collective

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ross Major and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ross, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Well, before it was ever really a business in any sense, it was a new passion I was exploring.

I first became obsessed with bass music in highschool and started DJing during my senior year of college (2019). By the time I felt comfortable enough to play in front of people, we were in the brunt of covid – and obviously there were no shows to be played. That sparked the idea for my very first event – a socially distanced show with a lineup of locals at a local pizza spot downtown (myself included). We put on a couple of shows like that, and it became apparent that this was something I wanted to pursue.

I fell in love with our growing local scene and with working in the music industry.
Integrating myself into the community more and more after a series of our shows, I began to take on a new mission: to bring the best bass music shows we can to our city and help revive our once robust scene. And I am happy to say, we are doing just that! We now exist as a driving force behind our community, and a platform for local artists to come together and share their work.

All of that to say – our collective is so much more than a business to me, and to all of us involved. We prioritize experience over profit every chance we get, with the knowledge that if we keep at it – the money will come one day when we expand to larger shows & festivals.

What should our readers know about your business?
I preach all the time that what sets us apart from every other collective/company in our area is that we dont cut corners. ever. If you see the Rhythm City logo on a flyer, that is assurance that your ticket is buying you access to the best production around. The highest quality sound, the most insane visual experience, the best crowd and the leading bass music in our area and beyond.

We’ve built ourselves up to where we are today through immeasurable dedication to our mission. Was it easy? No, not at all. We’ve failed countless times in the past. But more importantly, we’ve gained valuable insight from each failure AND each success, and we go into every new event with a better perspective than we had before.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Richmond is an incredibly creative and beautiful city. I moved here from my hometown of Hampton, VA in 2015 for school and havent fallen out of love yet!

I think most locals can agree that one of the best parts of Richmond is the James River park system that cuts through the middle of the city. Rhythm City actually has a very close relationship with the river. Rhythm City is a play on words of ‘River City’, which is another name for Richmond. We`ve also hosted a variety of free events at ‘ The Pipeline’, which is one of the river access spots.
I suggest checking out The Pipeline along with Texas Beach. Both of which are more ‘local’ spots, and will keep you away from the always busy Belle Isle.

Second best part of Richmond is the food. We have some of the most insane restaurants in our area. If you are a foodie like me then it will be tough to leave. Some of my personal favorites are Lucky AF for sushi and Union Market for some of the most insane sandwiches you will ever eat.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people in our community that have helped us get to where we are.

First and foremost, the people that directly dedicate their time and effort into our organization time and time again:
Sawyer Katz
Kenny Turner
Trae Calder
JC Carroll
Josh Cromwell
Christina Curtis
Nick Johnson
Russell White
and many many more, if I keep going we will be here all day.

Max Stone, who offered mentorship and helped me navigate the world of talent buying when I was gaining my footing.

Mark Graham of The Sound Live LLC, whose expertise (and speakers) are unmatched by any,

I also want to shout out every artist who believed in us when there wasn’t much yet to believe in, along with every single person who has been coming out and supporting our shows since the beginning.

Website: rhythmcitycollective.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhythmcitycollective/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RhythmCityCo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhythmcityco/