TEM32: Sam Pilafian of Boston Brass on founding a world-renowned chamber group, what makes someone hirable and how luck seems to be self-generated

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TEM32: Sam Pilafian of Boston Brass on founding a world-renowned chamber group, what makes someone hirable and how luck seems to be self-generated

Sam Pilafian is a legendary entrepreneur, chamber musician, teacher and producer. This is the first of three interviews with TEM where he chronicles the beginning of his incredible career in Miami, New York and Boston.

As you will hear in this conversation, Sam is my mentor, a true legend in the music business whose impact will be felt for generations to come.

You will hear that as we got about an hour into the interview we realized that this needed to split up into at least three sessions. The entrepreneurial lessons he shares in this interview from the first decade or so from his career are invaluable.

Pretty phenomenal that one person accomplished all of this in just the first third of their career.

What You’ll Learn on Today’s Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

  • How he learned from the greats at an early age that you have to have your business head on straight and take care of your art at the same time

  • Why he's glad he majored in music business in college

  • How the Empire Brass was founded

  • The importance of saying yes and then figuring it out

  • How he realized early on that the more people you get along with the better this is going to go

  • How having strengths where others have weaknesses will make you useful and hirable

  • Why a signature sound would lead to a recording contract

  • What is was like to walk into the office of Columbia Records in New York City at age 22 to try to get a recording contract

  • The benefits of Empire Brass developing their craft on the road

  • How a lot of luck seems to be self-generated

Links:

Favorite Quote from the Interview:

  • "So you start to put together at a really young age that if you don't have your business hat on and you don't concentrate fully on the art then nothing's really going to happen here."

You can help offset the ongoing costs of producing the show by making a small donation at http://www.pedalnotemedia.com/support-the-entrepreneurial-musician. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer and Buddy Deshler of FredBrass