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Tommy Boy Records

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Tommy Boy Records
Parent companyReservoir Media
Founded1981;43 years ago(1981)
FounderTom Silverman
StatusActive
Distributor(s)self-distributed
Genre
Country of originUnited States
LocationNew York City, New York
Official websitetommyboy

Tommy Boy Recordsis an American independent[1][2]record labelandmultimediabrand founded in 1981 byTom Silverman.The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers ofQueen Latifah,Amber,Afrika Bambaataa,Stetsasonic,Digital Underground,Coolio,De La Soul,House of Pain,Naughty By Nature,andForce MDs.[3]Tommy Boy is also credited with introducing genres such asEDM,Latinfreestyle,andLatin hip hopto mainstream audiences in America.[4]

History

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1981–1985: Early Years

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Tom Silverman created Tommy Boy Music in 1981 in hisNew York Cityapartment with a $5,000 loan from his parents. The label was an outgrowth of Silverman'sDance Music Reportbi-weekly publication, which spanned 14 years, beginning in September 1978.[5]

1985–2002: Partnership with Warner Bros. Records

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In 1985,Warner Bros. Recordsentered into a partnership with Tommy Boy and acquired half of the label, and it allowed the label to use independent distribution as it saw fit, with the option to distribute artists through the major-label channel through Warner Bros. Records or sister labelReprise Records.[6]

Monica Lynch,who was one of the first employees hired by Tom Silverman, became president of the label in 1985.[7][8]As A&R for the label, she signed and managed Queen Latifah, De La Soul, and host of hip hop musicians.

Even though the male–female power struggle in hip hop music has always been present, Lynch and her peers said that the early days of hip hop were magical times for women looking to make it in the record business. Julie Greenwald, Sylvia Robinson, DJ Jazzy Joyce, Mona Scott, and Claudine Joseph also made their mark on different areas of hip-hop. Greenwald and Robinson, like Lynch, became powerful music executives. For more than 25 years, DJ Jazzy Joyce has been one of the most visible and in-demand female turntablists. And Scott and Joseph have managed the careers of some of the biggest names in hip-hop. "Hip-hop provided a tremendous amount of opportunities for women, which might seem antithetical because of the association that many people have with misogyny and hip-hop," says Lynch. "There has been a lot of attention paid to misogynist lyrics in hip-hop over the years, and I'm not going to defend or damn it. I think it exists, but some of the people who helped put those records out were women."[8]

According to Jeff "Chairman" Mao, a key DJ in 1990s underground hip-hop and online hip-hop radio host, Monica Lynch managed the careers of Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force, Stetsasonic, Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Naughty by Nature among others.[9]

The label had several joint ventures in the mid 1990s includingPenalty Recordings,[10]Stepsun,[11]Beyond,[12]and Ignition.[13]The label also had deals with labels such as Timber Records and distribution deals with Outcaste Records[14]and 75 Ark,[15]while also giving independent distribution to sister imprints that already had label deals with WEA, includingAmerican Recordings' Ill Labels,Mute Records' NovaMute, andCold Chillin Records' Livin' Large.[16]

In 1997, Tommy Boy launched an imprint label called Upaya to pursue the growing interest inspiritualityand spiritual/world music.[17][18]The imprint Tommy Boy Gospel was launched in 1998 under the direction of Max Seigel and Marvie Wright.[19]That same year, the imprints Tommy Boy Black Label,[20]which specialized in underground hip hop music, and Tommy Boy Silver Label,[21]which specialized in dance music, were founded.

In 2001, while still affiliated withWarner Music,Tommy Boy Records founderTom Silvermanformed Tommy Boy Films, a TV and film division withKung Fauxcreator and Dubtitled Entertainment founder, Michael "Mic" Neumann.[22][23]

2002–2021: Independence

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In 2002, Tommy Boy Records became independent again after it ended its joint venture withWarner Bros. Records,which wanted greater unit sales, and the master tapes released until that time became property of Warner Music, while the Tommy Boy trademark remained withTom Silverman.[24]The then-current Tommy Boy music artists were shopped to variousWEAlabels, the Tommy Boy television and film divisions were merged with the Tommy Boy music division, and the resulting company was rebranded as Tommy Boy Entertainment.[23]Tommy Boy then began licensing its trademark toWarner Musicfor use on reissues throughRhino/Atlantic Records.

In 2017, because of Warner Music's divestment requirements as a result of its purchase ofParlophone,Tommy Boy was able to reacquire its pre-2002 catalogue and the catalogues ofBrand Nubian,Grand Puba,andClub Nouveau.[25]In 2018, Tommy Boy also acquiredAmherst Records,Harlem Music, and Halwill Music, which hold masters and publishing rights for a diverse collection of '70s Soul, Disco, and Jazz artists includingThe Stylistics,Van McCoy,andGlenn Medeiros.

2021–present: Acquisition by Reservoir Media

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In June 2021, Tommy Boy was acquired for $100 million by Reservoir Media, a music publishing and media rights company founded in 2007 by Iranian-Canadian businesswomanGolnar Khosrowshahi.[26]

Brand image

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The Tommy Boy logo was originally designed in 1982 by Steven Miglio and redesigned in 1989 byEric Haze.The logo was named onComplex'slist of the 50 Greatest Rap Logos of all time, coming in at number nine.[27]

In the late 1980s, with the emergence ofstreetwearfashion, Tommy Boy produced and distributedCarharttjackets embroidered with its logo on the front and back for its own merchandise line called Tommy Boy Gear.[28][29]Tommy Boy is also credited as the first to uselanyardsas promotional items, which became a popularstreetwearfashion accessory in the 1990s.[30]

Controversies

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De La Soul controversy

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Controversy rose in early 2019, after Tommy Boy announced that the catalog of its formerly signed groupDe La Soulwould be available on streaming services later that week. This announcement prompted the group to begin a "Tommy Boycott" campaign, due to the fact that they would receive only 10% of revenue generated by streams, with the other 90% going to Tommy Boy. The campaign was shared by their fellow artistsNas,QuestloveandPete Rock,among others. In response, Tommy Boy postponed the deal and announced their discography would not be available on streaming services as previously scheduled.[31][32]

On March 3, 2023, De La Soul's catalogue made its debut on streaming services, after years of negotiations.

Selected artists

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Discography

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Main article:Tommy Boy Records discography

References

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  1. ^"Home – Tommy Boy Records – A2IM".a2im.org.Archived fromthe originalon February 27, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 26,2018.
  2. ^Roberts, Dave (June 1, 2017)."Warner sells flurry of copyrights as indie divestment process heads towards finish line - Music Business Worldwide".Music Business Worldwide.RetrievedFebruary 26,2018.
  3. ^Reid, Shaheem."'Hip-Hop Is History': Tommy Boy Records Unloads Rap Acts ".MTV News.Archived fromthe originalon April 10, 2016.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.
  4. ^"2015 Partners - New Music Seminar".New Music Seminar.RetrievedAugust 1,2017.
  5. ^"In the City of New York".In the City of New York.July 23, 2007. Archived from the original on July 23, 2007.RetrievedJuly 20,2017.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^Zane, Warren.Revolutions in Sound—Warner Bros. Records: the first 50 Years.San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2009.
  7. ^Tucker, Bruce (October 31, 1993)."Tommy Boy Can CD Future".Fast Company.RetrievedMarch 25,2019.
  8. ^ab"Hey Get Down! Women Got Down, Too!".bust.Archived fromthe originalon March 25, 2019.RetrievedMarch 25,2019.
  9. ^"Across 135th Street – Monica Lynch".Red Bull Radio.RetrievedMarch 25,2019.
  10. ^Reynolds, J.R. (November 4, 1995)."Billboard".Nielsen Business Media, Inc.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.
  11. ^Charnas, Dan (November 1, 2011).The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop.Penguin.ISBN9781101568118.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.
  12. ^"HITS Daily Double: Rumor Mill - A TALE OF THREE LABELS".HITS Daily Double.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.
  13. ^Knopper, Steve (June 20, 1998)."Billboard".Nielsen Business Media, Inc.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.
  14. ^2011 Songwriter's Market.Writer's Digest Books. October 11, 2010.ISBN9781599632575.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^"75 Ark".Discogs.RetrievedJuly 20,2017.
  16. ^Nathan, David (July 4, 1992)."Billboard".Nielsen Business Media, Inc.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.
  17. ^Smith, Shawnee (November 29, 1997)."Billboard".Google Books.Nielsen Business Media, Inc.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.
  18. ^Strauss, Neil (June 27, 1996)."The Pop Life".The New York Times.RetrievedJuly 20,2017.
  19. ^Collins, Lisa (June 30, 2001)."Billboard".Google Books.Nielsen Business Media, Inc.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.
  20. ^"CMJ New Music Report".Google Books.CMJ Network, Inc. April 10, 2000.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.
  21. ^Flick, Larry (April 11, 1998)."Billboard".Google Books.Nielsen Business Media, Inc.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.
  22. ^Kipnis, Jill (October 19, 2002).Tommy Boy Branches Out With Film/TV Division.Billboard Magazine. Page 6.
  23. ^abTommy Boy Films Distribution DealArchivedSeptember 29, 2020, at theWayback Machineby James Scileppi, Koch/Entertainment One, August 1, 2005.
  24. ^"Tommy Boy Artists Dance Again".Billboard.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.
  25. ^"Everything must go: Warner Music's indie divestment 'will end September 30'".Music Week.RetrievedDecember 9,2017.
  26. ^Aswad, Jem (June 4, 2021)."Reservoir Acquires Iconic Tommy Boy Music, Groundbreaking Hip-Hop Label, for $100 Million".Variety.RetrievedJune 28,2021.
  27. ^Mao, Chairman; Sen, Raka."The 50 Greatest Rap Logos 9. Tommy Boy Records".Complex.RetrievedJuly 11,2017.
  28. ^"Tom Silverman".Midem.RetrievedAugust 4,2016.[permanent dead link]
  29. ^Marriott, Michel (November 29, 1992)."THING; The Carhartt Jacket".The New York Times.RetrievedAugust 4,2016.
  30. ^Wartofsky, Alona (July 29, 1996)."ONLY THE HIPPEST HAVE KEY RINGS AROUND THE COLLAR".The Washington Post.RetrievedJuly 20,2017.
  31. ^"Nas, Questlove, and More Call for Tommy Boy Boycott Following De La Soul Controversy (UPDATE)".Complex.RetrievedFebruary 12,2020.
  32. ^"De La Soul Calls Out Former Record Label Over 'Unfair' Streaming Deal".Complex.RetrievedFebruary 12,2020.
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