We were lucky to catch up with Ben Buck recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ben, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My work ethic comes from repetition. Within the music industry I work hard to try and find every different avenue I am passionate in and pursue it with all of my energy. I feel most content when I am working on creative projects so I’ve worked different skills to help with them. I do my own video editing, graphic design, cassette tape duplication, booking etc.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is Ben Buck, I make rap music and enjoy hosting and DJ’ing live events. Ive been beatboxing and rapping for 10 years and promoting shows since 2015. I also manufacture and duplicate cassette tapes for artists and labels across the US.
I started organizing and hosting showcases under the banner of “Speaker Bump Presents”. I was already experienced as a a street team leader, organizing groups of people together to canvas events and hang up posters across Austin, so I applied my combined performance knowledge and promotional skill to channel into my own company. I learned how to DJ from attending open mics locally, so I was able to cue artists tracks, host and create an atmosphere within my events.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, I had to think of a way to pivot Speaker Bump in a direction away from live events, but still within the realm of music that I had grown up around. Me and my friend Julian started to make mix tapes in his garage so I decided to dive head first into starting my own cassette tape label. As of January 2023 I have done over 120 short order runs (25-100 units) of cassette tapes for artists all over the country.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Work Ethic- I found that a strong work ethic will always set you apart from the crowd. Being active and focusing your energy into creative pursuits will get you much further along than just being “talented”. I learned that you have to really put your self out there for anyone to notice. A good rule I learned though is nobody will care about your journey as much as you do, so its important to never expect anyone to put in effort to your journey if you won’t even put in the adequate work for yourself.
Positive Attitude and Communication Skills- I learned from years of working as a door person at nightclubs and venues that an understanding attitude and positive communication will get you much further in life than negativity can. Being able to talk to people is essential inside of the music industry and is a skill I continually try to work on.
Ability to Adapt- Being able to adapt when things don’t go the way you expected is very important for how uncertain things are in the music industry. If you are able to learn to roll with the punches and keep things moving in the right direction, it will be much easier to be able to keep your career consistent. Having to pivot and adapt is inevitable.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
There are a few challenges I’ve faced in trying to work inside the music industry. Time management and energy allotment has been a consistent theme I’ve encountered. Between taking on new clients for cassette orders, routing tours for artists coming through Texas and finding time to work on my own music, it could be easy to start feeling overwhelmed. What helps center me in claustrophobic and busy times is remembering back to when I was first starting out as a performer and the uncertainty I had felt as a young creative. It helps me remember that I have had a decade to spend on my work ethic and confidence and I know that I am living in my purpose.
Im thankful to be in a position i’m in and I know I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/benbuckbeatbox/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benbuckbeatbox/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benbuckbeatbox/
