Tommy Boy Records

About Tommy Boy Records

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.
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.

Website: www.tommyboy.com/