S8E8: Tom Ameen - Building a Career as a Musician
In this episode, Tom Ameen talks about how he's built a successful career as a classical pianist. Topics include restaurant gigs, getting private parties, and selling albums. He also talks about his new solo piano Star Wars album, which is awesome!
\nTom has played piano since he was 12 years old and studied under acclaimed pianist James Tannenbaum at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
\nHe\u2019s gathered a wonderful following around Los Angeles which has afforded him many opportunities to collaborate with some top names like Grammy nominated artist Jim Brickman, performing on many of his albums. Tom even found himself performing as J.J. Abrams\u2019 personal pianist.
\nHe\u2019s recorded many albums with Canadian-based label Somerset Entertainment, some of which are Wal-Mart exclusives, others to be found at theme parks around the country. My favorites are his albums that he\u2019s put out which contain music from the Disney theme parks, and these have charted on the Billboard Top 10! Probably the most exciting of all, Tom has just released his latest album, Journey to the Stars which features renditions of his favorite themes from the Star Wars movies!
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\nInterview with Tom Ameen: Success\xa0Mantra\nDream big. If you can dream it, you can do it. \u2014 Walt Disney \xa0
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\nMaking it as a Musician\n\u2022 Why he decided to move from Cleveland to Los Angeles and why he chose LA over New York.
\n\u2022 Dreaming big.
\n\u2022 Working with acclaimed pianist Jim Brickman.
\n\u2022 Talks about how he happened upon and landed a gig at Vitello's the restaurant he\u2019s been at for three years playing four times per week.
\n\u2022 Selling his albums at his restaurant gig.
\n\u2022 Talks about private gigs.
\n\u2022 The power of asking.
\n\u2022 You miss 100% of the shots you never take. \u2014 Wayne Gretzky
\n\u2022 How he gets private parties.
\n\u2022 Contacting companies that do weddings and events.
\n\u2022 Tells about how he got a gig performing for JJ Abrams.
\n\u2022 Launching and promoting his albums.
\n\u2022 Getting approval and rights for his covers.
\n\u2022 How CD Baby manages all the details for selling your album on all platforms.
\n\u2022 Getting the word out about his albums.
\n\u2022 Doing interviews on podcasts to promote his music.
\n\u2022 Two of his Disney albums made it into the Top Ten on Billboard\u2019s New Age list.
\n\u2022 Shout out to Randy Crane and Stories of the Magic Podcast for introducing me to Tom.
\n\u2022 Putting his own spin on songs that he covers while still keeping his integrity of the song and not sounding cheesy. He nails it! \xa0
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\nJourney to the Stars and Contest\n\\Journey to the Stars is Tom's solo piano album of him covering his favorite themes from the Star Wars franchise. Tom did a wonderful job with these arrangements and you can check out the album on iTunes or CD Baby.
\nWe\u2019re also giving away a free copy of his album to one lucky listener and here\u2019s how to enter the contest: Go all the way down to the bottom of this page and leave a comment answering this question: If you had a droid that could do anything in the world, what would it do, and what would you call it? Tom and I will pick our favorite and the winner will be announced in the episode breaking February 12. \xa0 \xa0
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\nFailure Moment\nNot being true to his calling in music. He wasn\u2019t being true to himself and actually gave up on music for a while and getting a day job. It was one of the most miserable periods in his life. \xa0
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\nFavorite Success\nGetting on the Billboard Top Ten and putting out his albums like his new Star Wars album. \xa0
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\nParting Advice\nUse your fear as fuel to go do what you want to do. \xa0
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\nExclusive Content for Patreon Supporters\nThe uncut version of this interview is available to Patreon Supporters\xa0and includes about 8\xa0minutes of additional content.\xa0Please consider\xa0supporting me on Patreon. \xa0
\nIn the Patreon-exclusive content\xa0you'll find:
\n\u2022 Some fun banter as we talk about our\xa0musically inclined families.
\n\u2022 The importance of validation of what you\u2019re doing from people who love your art. \xa0
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\nRecommended books and resources:\nNote: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we\xa0earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our\xa0podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our\xa0affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks! \xa0
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\nResources:
\nHis RSS Reader to keep up with all the news sources and blogs he follows.
\nThe Disney Parks Blog\u2014To keep up on Disney news \xa0
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\nBooks:
\nThe Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel by\xa0Garth Stein
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\nWhere can we find Tom Ameen?\n\niTunes | Google Play | Amazon | CD Baby
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