Rob Flax makes the most of an opportunity.
Multi-instrumentalist and performing songwriter Rob Flax had his suspicions confirmed at the DIY Musician Conference: A combination of eagerness and preparation is the key to success in today’s music industry.
Talent is only a part of the equation, though Rob’s got that part locked in tight, as you can hear when you watch the video he shot with the help of #YouTubeNashville as part of the DIY Musician Conference.
Say YES to everything.
Below Rob Flax talks about his experience at the 2017 DIY Musician Conference in Nashville, shooting a video with YouTube, playing multiple times during the event, and more:
I loved every minute of CD Baby’s DIY Musician Conference and I would recommend this event to any artist in a similar stage in their career: Finally ready with a product, but not sure how to sell it.
Each and every session was chock-full of DIY nuggets, with practical “do this now” advice in almost every area of my business. (This is another good way to decide whether or not this conference is for you: if you’ve just started to call this “your business” instead of just “your art,” then you should go. Buy the early-bird tickets as soon as they’re up. I’m probably going again.)
And then… the extras! The YouTube Nashville Sessions were an inspiring first for me—first time I’ve shot a music video with seven cameras rolling at once. I had rolled into Nashville on a 6am bus that morning from Atlanta, spent ten hours in a recording studio working with a new engineer, and then headed to the YouTube space for a 10 pm shoot. I thought I had a long day, but the film crew had been there since 8 am, working nonstop, and had four straight days at that pace!
The lesson to be learned here: always be humble, because there are so many people grinding just as hard (or harder). How inspiring to collaborate with such hardworking folks who did such an amazing job!
A big takeaway from the conference: say yes to everything. Apply to everything. I got the opportunity to shoot this video because I attended the conference and then applied to participate (the form was only available to conference attendees, and not advertised as a reason to go).
I played at the open mic Friday night because I applied (another attendee-only opportunity). I played again at the after-party Sunday night because I stuck around, and my name got pulled, and I was ready to play as soon as my name was called (instrument in hand, song memorized and prepared).
Each and every performance opportunity came from a combination of eagerness to share my music and the preparation to be ready when a chance arose. I’m learning more and more that this is how the music business works, all of the time. Thank you, CD Baby, for pushing me to be ready.
To learn more about Rob Flax, visit his website.
For more information about the DIY Musician Conference, go HERE. (More information about the 2018 conference coming soon).
Chris Robley is an acclaimed singer-songwriter and award-winning poet from Maine.
His Beatlesque indie-pop and milltown Americana songs have been praised by The Associated Press, No Depression, KCRW, The LA Times, Boston Globe, NPR, American Songwriter, and others.
His poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, Prairie Schooner, The Poetry Review, and more.
Robley has received a Maine Literary Award in Poetry, Boulevard’s Emerging Writers Prize for Poetry, and in 2016 was selected by former US-poet laureate Robert Pinsky as a finalist for the Dorset Prize.