Tommy Boy Records
Encyclopedia
Tommy Boy Entertainment (formerly known as Tommy Boy Records) is an independent record label
started in 1981
by Tom Silverman
.
bought 50% of the label, eventually buying all of it in 1990. Silverman and Monica Lynch became Vice Presidents of Warner as well. Warner allowed Tommy Boy to use independent distribution as it saw fit, with the option to put artists through the major-label channel through Warner Bros. Records or its sister label Reprise Records
. Silverman bought 50% back from Warner Bros. in 1995. Also the same year, the first incarnation of Penalty Recordings, a joint venture with Neil Levine, was created, but it was absorbed by Tommy Boy in 1999. The imprint Tommy Boy Gospel was launched in 1998 under the direction of Max Siegel and Marvie Wright—and Tommy Boy Black Label (specializing in underground hip hop music
) and Tommy Boy Silver Label (specializing in dance music) were founded as well. Tommy Boy, as part of Warner, also provided independent distribution to sister imprints that already had label deals with WEA, including American Recordings’ Ill Labels, Mute Records
’ NovaMute, and Cold Chillin' Records
’ Livin’ Large. During this time, label had distribution deals with labels such as Timber Records, Outcaste Records, and 75 Ark Records as well.
, the then-current Tommy Boy artists were shopped to the various WEA
labels, the trademark remained with Silverman, and the company was redubbed Tommy Boy Entertainment LLC. The label then licensed its trademark to Warner for use on its reissues through Rhino/Atlantic Records.
In 2005, Tommy Boy Silver Label conceived by Rosie Lopez and co-founded by Lopez and Victor Lee was spun off from its parent and was renamed Silver Label, specializing in LGBT-oriented content. The launch included highly acclaimed soundtracks of the shows Queer as Folk and The L Word, and artists such as the Cliks, Matt Alber, and Chavela Vargas.
(post-Warner)
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
started in 1981
1981 in music
See also:* Timeline of musical eventsThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1981.-January–April:*January 10 – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.*January 24 –...
by Tom Silverman
Tom Silverman
Tom Silverman is the founder, chairman and CEO of the record label Tommy Boy Records , and he is co-founder of the independent film and television company Tommy Boy Films. Silverman co-founded Dance Music Report magazine, which ran from 1978 to 1992, and he co-founded the Dance Music Hall of Fame,...
.
History
After borrowing $5,000 from his parents, the label was an outgrowth of Tom Silverman's Disco News bi-weekly publication (later titled Dance Music Report), which spanned 14 years, beginning in September 1978.As a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records
In 1985, Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
bought 50% of the label, eventually buying all of it in 1990. Silverman and Monica Lynch became Vice Presidents of Warner as well. Warner allowed Tommy Boy to use independent distribution as it saw fit, with the option to put artists through the major-label channel through Warner Bros. Records or its sister label Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
. Silverman bought 50% back from Warner Bros. in 1995. Also the same year, the first incarnation of Penalty Recordings, a joint venture with Neil Levine, was created, but it was absorbed by Tommy Boy in 1999. The imprint Tommy Boy Gospel was launched in 1998 under the direction of Max Siegel and Marvie Wright—and Tommy Boy Black Label (specializing in underground hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
) and Tommy Boy Silver Label (specializing in dance music) were founded as well. Tommy Boy, as part of Warner, also provided independent distribution to sister imprints that already had label deals with WEA, including American Recordings’ Ill Labels, Mute Records
Mute Records
Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...
’ NovaMute, and Cold Chillin' Records
Cold Chillin' Records
Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released some important music in the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. A producer-and-crew label founded by manager Tyrone Williams and run by Len Fichtelberg Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released some...
’ Livin’ Large. During this time, label had distribution deals with labels such as Timber Records, Outcaste Records, and 75 Ark Records as well.
Rebirth as an independent label
In January 2002, Tommy Boy became independent again. Silverman purchased the remaining 50% he did not own; the master tapes released until that time became property of Warner MusicWarner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, the then-current Tommy Boy artists were shopped to the various WEA
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
labels, the trademark remained with Silverman, and the company was redubbed Tommy Boy Entertainment LLC. The label then licensed its trademark to Warner for use on its reissues through Rhino/Atlantic Records.
In 2005, Tommy Boy Silver Label conceived by Rosie Lopez and co-founded by Lopez and Victor Lee was spun off from its parent and was renamed Silver Label, specializing in LGBT-oriented content. The launch included highly acclaimed soundtracks of the shows Queer as Folk and The L Word, and artists such as the Cliks, Matt Alber, and Chavela Vargas.
Albums
(Warner)(post-Warner)