6 Questions With New Music Seminar Founder Tom Silverman

When it comes to the music business, Tom Silverman has just about seen it all. After founding Tommy Boy Records in 1981, he helped shepherd the careers of De La Soul, Queen Latifah and Naughty By Nature, eventually selling the label to Warner Bros. Records in 1990 and buying it back 12 years later. He went from pioneer to pundit in that time, too, founding the New Music Seminar in New York City. The annual confab arrived in Los Angeles last week and featured participants such as Craig Kallman, chairman/CEO Atlantic Records, Geffen chairman Ron Fair, James Diener of A&M/Octane Records, and Cal Nyantakyi, RocNation's head of A&R. Silverman spoke to THR just before the conference's kick-off on February 14.