Tommy Mottola - The Basics:
- Who: Label head and music manager Tommy Mottola
- Born: July 14, 1949, Bronx, NY
- Significant Achievements: Running Sony Records, signing Mariah Carey
- Years Active in the Industry: 1970s - present
Musical Ambitions:
Tommy Mottola's first goal in the music industry wasn't to make a splash behind the scenes. He had his eye on the spotlight and released an album on CBS Records in the early 1970s. The record was a flop, but Mottola didn't want to leave the music industry, so he turned his attention to the business side of things.
Champion Entertainment Organization and Chappell Publishing:
After his attempt to become a star himself failed, Mottola started working for publishing powerhouse Chappell Publishing and started his own management company, Champion Entertainment Organization. His role at Chappell put him in touch with many artists, and soon he signed his first successful management clients, Hall and Oates.
Mottola helped Hall and Oates land a record deal and several high profile endorsements. He was also recognized for successfully using new mediums for promotion, like music videos and corporate sponsorship for music tours.
CBS and Sony:
In 1988, Mottola left Champion Entertainment behind to run CBS Records. Shortly afterwards, Sony purchased CBS and Mottola was named president of Sony. During his tenure, he helped Sony set up shop in 60 countries and built up their publishing catalog. During his time, he also signed artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Destiny's Child, Celine Dion and The Dixie Chicks.
Mottola is further credited for responding to changes in the industry by making Sony the first major label to digitally distribute music.
Mariah Carey and Marrying the Talent:
Artist development is a speciality of Mottola's, but he is sometimes known for getting a little too close to his clients. After discovering Mariah Carey on a demo tape, he signed her and then married her. They divorced in 1998, when Carey hinted that their relationship was abusive.
In 2000, Mottola married another one of his artists, Thalia.
Casablanca Records:
Mottola left Sony in 2003 and bought the rights to Casablanca Records. Under the imprint, he has signed Lindsay Lohan and Mika.
The Michael Jackson Incident:
Mottola signed Michael Jackson to Sony and released Jackson's album Invincible. Album sales were disappointing, which Jackson blamed on a lack of promotion by Sony. This led Jackson to publicly state that Mottola frequently used racist language and didn't promote the releases by his minority artists.
Jackson decided to wait out his contract with Sony but soon discovered that he was obligated to Sony for a much longer period than he had known. It emerged that the lawyer who helped Jackson negotiate the deal with Sony was also working for Sony.
Another charge against Mottola in his dealings with Jackson was that he set Invincible up to fail in hopes of putting Jackson in a position financially where he would have no choice but to sell his back catalogue to Sony.
The behind the scenes wrangling led Jackson to famously refer to Mottola as "very, very, very devilish".
