Tommy Boy Records

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Tommy Boy Records
Founded 1981
Founder Tom Silverman
Distributing label Independent label
Genre Various
Country of origin US
Location New York, New York

Tommy Boy Records (now known as Tommy Boy Entertainment) is a record label started in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is widely recognized for significant contribution to the development of hip hop music, dance music, and electronica.

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[edit] History

After borrowing $5,000 from his parents, the label was an outgrowth of his Disco News bi-weekly publication (later titled Dance Music Report), which spanned 14 years, beginning in September 1978.

In 1985, Warner Bros. Records bought 50% of the label, eventually buying the whole thing in 1990. Silverman and right-hand woman Monica Lynch became Vice Presidents of Warner as well. What was uprecedented about this venture is that 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 if it desired. This option was used seldomly. Silverman bought 50% back from Warner Bros. in 1995 after the infamous early 1990s controversy between Tipper Gore, C. Delores Tucker, and Time Warner that caused many of WEA’s hip-hop acts to be heavily censored finally cooled down. In 1995 a joint venture called Penalty Recordings was created with Neil Levine, but it was absorbed by Tommy Boy in 1999. The imprint Tommy Boy Gospel was launched in 1998 under the direction of Max Seigel and Marvie Wright. The same year, 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 gave independent distribution to sister imprints that already had label deals with WEA, including American Recordings’ Ill Labels, Mute Records’ NovaMute, and Cold Chillin’s’ Livin’ Large. The label had distribution deals with labels such as Timber Records, Outcaste Records, and 75 Ark as well.

In 2001, Tom Silverman, in collaboration with producer-director Mic Neumann and his company Dubtitled Entertainment, launched an independent television, film, and DVD division known as Tommy Boy Films.

In January 2002, Tommy Boy became independent again after it ended its joint venture with Warner Bros. Warner wanted higher unit sales than the label was producing, so Silverman purchased the remaining 50% he did not own, the master tapes released until that time became property of Warner Music, 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 was spun off from its parent and was renamed Silver Label, specializing in LGBT-oriented content.

In 2007, Tommy Boy Films’ first project, a half-hour television series titled Kung Faux was released on DVD after first being licensed in over 40 countries around the world to television networks such as STAR Asia, FOX Latin America, & CANAL Plus Europe.

[edit] Artists

This list includes both current and former Tommy Boy recording artists in both its Warner and post-Warner incarnations.

[edit] Albums

Further information: Category:Tommy Boy Records albums

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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