Tom Silverman

Silverman grew up in White Plains, New York, and earned a bachelor's degree in environmental science from Colby College in 1976. He also attended graduate school at Western Michigan University, where he majored in environmental geology.{{cite web|title=Thomas Silverman|url=https://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/events/sessions/nysessions/2009/bios/19.aspx|website=www.ascap.com|accessdate=17 August 2017}}

Tom Silverman co-founded the Dance Music Report magazine in 1978, which ran until 1992.{{cite web|title=In the City of New York|url=http://www.inthecityofnewyork.com/panel_tomsilverman.php|website=In the City of New York|accessdate=17 August 2017|date=23 July 2007|url-status=bot: unknown|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070723233454/http://www.inthecityofnewyork.com/panel_tomsilverman.php|archivedate=23 July 2007}} He then most notably launched the Tommy Boy Records label in 1981 as its founder and CEO. Many hip-hop artists have accused Silverman and the Tommy Boy label of exploitative business practices and "unfair and unbalanced terms",{{cite news |last1=Yoo |first1=Noah |title=De La Soul's Catalog Heading to Streaming, Band Say They'll Only See "Pennies" |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/de-la-souls-catalog-heading-to-streaming-band-say-theyll-only-see-pennies/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |publisher=Pitchfork |date=2019-02-27}} such as Maseo of De La Soul,{{cite web |title="#Maseo from De La Soul breaks down how they regained their catalog from #TommyBoyRecords" |url=https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uzPx4QKUuok |website=YouTube |publisher=UPROXXVideo |access-date=2023-10-24}} GZA of the Wu-Tang clan (on the track "Labels"{{cite web |title=Labels |url=https://genius.com/55336 |website=Genius |access-date=2023-10-24}}), and the Gravediggaz (a supergroup made up of former Tommy Boy artists{{cite web |title=360 Questions |url=https://genius.com/1764404? |website=Genius |access-date=2023-10-24}}).

Silverman later became a senior vice president at the Warner Music Group from 1986 to 2001, after Warner acquired a 50% stake in Tommy Boy in 1985,[https://web.archive.org/web/20160410094403/http://www.mtv.com/news/1452827/hip-hop-is-history-tommy-boy-records-unloads-rap-acts/ Hip Hop History-Tommy Boy Records] by Shaheem Reid, MTV, March 8, 2002. although Tommy Boy continued to maintain independent distribution for most releases domestically and all releases internationally during that time. Then as part of his split negotiations from the Warner Music Group in 2001,{{cite magazine|last1=Wiecking|first1=Steve|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Q0EAAAAMBAJ&q=tommy+boy+films+tom+silverman&pg=PA24|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|accessdate=17 August 2017|language=en|date=11 January 2003}} Silverman co-founded Tommy Boy Films with Kung Faux creator Mic Neumann,Kipnis, Jill (October 19, 2002). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Hw0EAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Kung+Faux%22+-inpublisher%3Aicon&pg=PA6 Tommy Boy Branches Out With Film/TV Division]. Billboard Magazine. Page 6. which was then merged with Tommy Boy Records in 2002 to create Tommy Boy Entertainment, a newly branded multimedia company with the same iconic trademark, encompassing the original music label, a diverse catalogue of artists, and new audiovisual content.[https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2006/07/06/ninja-please Dubitled and Tommy Boy - Ninja, Please] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221210635/https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2006/07/06/ninja-please |date=2019-12-21 }} Orlando Weekly, July 6, 2006.

In 2003, Silverman co-founded the Dance Music Hall of Fame, which was active until 2005. Silverman had also co-founded the annual New Music Seminar, which initially ran for fourteen years from 1980 to 1994, then was subsequently relaunched for another six-year run from 2009 to 2015.{{cite web|title=Tom Silverman - Reeperbahn Festival|url=https://www.reeperbahnfestival.com/en/speaker/tom-silverman|website=Detailansicht Speaker|accessdate=17 August 2017|language=en-EN}}{{cite web|last1=Halperlin|first1=Shirley|title=6 Questions With New Music Seminar Founder Tom Silverman|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/6-questions-new-music-seminar-159607|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=20 February 2011 |accessdate=17 August 2017|language=en}}

Silverman previously served on the boards of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Dance Music Hall of Fame, the NARM Manufacturer's advisory board, and the SoundExchange. He also served as a founding board member of the 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.

Silverman is the longest continuously serving board member of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He also serves on the board of the Universal Hip Hop Museum.{{cite web|title=UHHM Board Members - Universal Hip Hop Museum|url=http://www.uhhm.org/board-members/|website=Universal Hip Hop Museum|accessdate=17 August 2017}}

Silverman continues to speak at numerous music and trade 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.{{cite web|title=Merlin Network - Representing the rights of independent record labels worldwide|url=http://www.merlinnetwork.org/board/detail/thomas-a.-silverman|website=www.merlinnetwork.org|accessdate=17 August 2017|language=en}}

Silverman received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Heroes Award in 2000, and he was awarded the NARM Independent Spirit Award in 2010.

In 2013, Silverman was awarded the A2IM Libera Lifetime Achievement Award,{{cite magazine|title=A2IM Announces Tom Silverman as Recipient of Libera Lifetime Achievement Award|url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/branding/1565040/a2im-announces-tom-silverman-as-recipient-of-libera-lifetime|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=17 August 2017|language=en}} and was named to Complex's list of the 25 Best A&R Executives in Hip Hop History, coming in at number seven.{{cite web|last1=Charnas|first1=Dan|title=The 25 Best A&Rs in Hip-Hop History|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2013/02/the-25-greatest-hip-hop-ars-ever/|website=Complex|accessdate=17 August 2017|language=en}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.tommyboy.com Tommy Boy Entertainment]
• [http://www.newmusicseminar.com New Music Seminar]

• [http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/1521562/building-the-100-billion-music-business-guest-post-by/ Building the $100 Billion Music Business]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpHncmD284M Tom Silverman Radio Interview] (October 2009)
• [http://www.celebrityaccess.com/news/profile.html?id=607 Industry Profile: Tom Silverman] (CelebrityAccess MediaWire; March 2012)
• [http://cie.acm.org/articles/interview-tom-silverman/ Tom Silverman Video Interview] (Association for Computing Machinery Computers in Entertainment; July 2012)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120502171505/http://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-business/458465-tom-silverman-makes-case-against-diy.html Tom Silverman on DIY]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120227144810/http://miyb.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-favorite-tom-silverman-quote.html/ Aspire to Nothing]
• [http://www.songwriting.net/blog/bid/55794/Tom-Silverman-On-Songwriters-And-The-New-Reality-Of-The-Music-Business/ Tom Silverman Songwriting Tips]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160420023418/http://notc.com/Content/Spotlights/1983/Tommy_Boy_Records-3-83.pdf Tommy Boy: The Earliest Days]
• [http://musiciancoaching.com/music-business/state-of-the-music-industry-pt-1/ The Tragedy of the Long Tail]

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdW4qSrbIhw/ Tom Silverman Austin Tech Talk]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPq9CxcifpU/ Tom Silverman's Beginning]

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Category:American music industry executives

Category:Living people

Category:Colby College alumni

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)