Tom Silverman
Tom Silverman | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Colby College (B.A.) Western Michigan University (M.A) |
| Occupation | Entertainment executive |
| Years active | 1978 – present |
| Organization | Tommy Boy Entertainment |
Tom Silverman is an American entertainment executive.
Early life and education
Silverman grew up in White Plains, New York, and earned a bachelor's degree in environmental science from Colby College in 1976. He attended graduate school at Western Michigan University, where he majored in environmental geology.[1]
Career
In 1978, Tom Silverman Tom Silverman co-founded Dance Music Report magazine, which ran until 1992.[2] He is the founder and CEO at Tommy Boy, a record label established in 1981.
He was a Senior Vice President at Warner from 1986 to 2001, while Warner acquired 50% of Tommy Boy in 1986, and Tommy Boy maintained independent distribution for most releases domestically and all releases internationally. After splitting with Warner, Silverman co-founded the independent film and television company Tommy Boy Films.[3] Tom co-founded the Dance Music Hall of Fame, which was active from 2003 to 2005.[4]
Silverman also co-founded the annual New Music Seminar, which initially ran from 1980 to 1994 and relaunched in 2009 through 2015.[4][5]
Silverman also served as a founding board member of American Association of Independent Music (A2IM and its predecessors NAIRD/AFIM); Merlin Network, a global rights agency representing the world's most important set of independent music rights; and is the longest continuously serving board member of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He previously served on the boards of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Dance Music Hall of Fame, plus the NARM Manufacturer’s Advisory Board[4] and SoundExchange. He also serves on the board of the Universal Hip Hop Museum.[6]
He has spoken at events including SXSW, Canadian Music Week, Digital Music Forum, In the City, YouBloom, CMJ, NARM, Winter Music Conference, Amsterdam Dance Event, MIDEM, Music and Media, ASCAP New York Sessions, and Leadership Music.[7]
Awards
He received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Heroes Award in 2000. In 2010, he was awarded the NARM Independent Spirit Award.[7]
In 2013 he was awarded the A2IM Libera Lifetime Achievement Award.[8] Also in 2013, he was named to Complex's list of the 25 Best A&Rs in Hip Hop History at number seven.[9]
References
- ^ "Thomas Silverman". www.ascap.com. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ "In the City of New York". In the City of New York. 23 July 2007. Archived from the original on 23 July 2007. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Wiecking, Steve (11 January 2003). "Billboard". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ a b c "Tom Silverman - Reeperbahn Festival". Detailansicht Speaker. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ Halperlin, Shirley. "6 Questions With New Music Seminar Founder Tom Silverman". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ "UHHM Board Members - Universal Hip Hop Museum". Universal Hip Hop Museum. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Merlin Network - Representing the rights of independent record labels worldwide". www.merlinnetwork.org. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ "A2IM Announces Tom Silverman as Recipient of Libera Lifetime Achievement Award". Billboard. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ Charnas, Dan. "The 25 Best A&Rs in Hip-Hop History". Complex. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
External links
Interviews/articles
- Building the $100 Billion Music Business
- Tom Silverman Radio Interview (October 2009)
- Industry Profile: Tom Silverman (CelebrityAccess MediaWire; March 2012)
- Tom Silverman Video Interview (Association for Computing Machinery Computers in Entertainment; July 2012)
- Tom Silverman on DIY
- Aspire to Nothing
- Tom Silverman Songwriting Tips
- Tommy Boy: The Earliest Days
- The Tragedy of the Long Tail