True House Stories interviews Tom Silverman (Owner of Tommy Boy Records)

Thomas is the founder of Tommy Boy and has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since 1981. He has over 44 years experience in the dance, hip-hop, urban, alternative, dance, rock, and gospel music markets. In 1978 he founded Dance Music Report, the preeminent newsletter for DJs for over 15 years. Tom was a founder of the legendary New Music Seminar, the world’s seminal music industry convention through the 80’s. He re-launched the New Music Seminar in 2009 to introduce the new paradigm for an emerging new music business. He founded Tommy Boy in 1981, the original pioneer label in the hip hop movement with artists such as Afrika Bambaattaa, De La Soul, Digital Underground, Queen Latifah, Naughty by Nature, House of Pain, and Coolio. TommY BoY led the Electronic Dance movement with Information Society, 808 State, LFO and Coldcut and later launched the careers of Bob Sinclar and Gucci Mane. In 2017, Silverman reacquired the original Tommy Boy catalog from the Warner Music Group and tripled its revenues in four years before selling to Reservoir Media in 2021. He continues to run Tommy Boy Entertainment and controls the Tommy Boy brand and logo.