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Thomas Daniel 'Tommy' Mottola is an American music executive and co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. He is the former husband of singer Mariah Carey, and is currently married to Mexican singer Thalía. He headed Sony Music Entertainment, parent of the Columbia label, for nearly 15 years.

Apart from his experience in managing music outfits, Mottola is known as a mentor and former talent manager. His most famous proteges were Hall & Oates, Carly Simon, John Mellencamp,^[1]Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, Diana Ross, and Taylor Dayne in the 80s, Mariah Carey (his second wife) in the 1990s and Jennifer Lopez in the early 2000s. Thalía (his third wife and a famous Mexican singer) and Tommy have just celebrated the birth of their first child together, a daughter, named Sabrina Sakae. (per Associated Press dated 10/9/2007)

Mottola was born in the Bronx, New York. He attended Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, New York, graduating in 1967. He briefly attended Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York before dropping out. He initially had aspirations of a music career, and released with CBS Records, but his singing career was short-lived.

Wishing to stay in the industry, Mottola started Champion Entertainment Organization Inc. to manage other artists. While working at the Chappell music-publishing company, he became the mentor to Philadelphia-based soul/rock performers Daryl Hall and John Oates.

His belief in the duo led him to push them relentlessly to do appearances and advertising promotions, including some of the first specialized music videos and one of the first modern "sponsored tours," for Beech-Nut's Care Free Gum, Panasonic, and Pontiac..

Hall & Oates paid tribute to him in their track "Gino (the Manager)" on their self-titled 1975 RCA release, better known as the Silver Album. Mottola also figured -- this time, being mentioned by name -- in "Cherchez La Femme," the 1976 dance hit by another Mottola act, Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. ("Tommy Mottola / Lives on the road...")

The Entertainment Man

Mottola served as Chairman and CEO Sony Music Entertainment. During his tenure, he transformed Sony into one of the most successful global music companies, expanding its businesses into over 60 countries, while creating one of the strongest management teams in the industry. He revitalized Sony Music's publishing division by making such acquisitions as the Beatles catalogue and enabled Sony to become the first major music company to make available commercial digital downloads. He is widely well-known for signing, developing, and nurturing the careers of Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Destiny's Child/Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Dixie Chicks, Marc Anthony, Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, among others.

Since leaving his post as chief of Sony Music, Mottola has been building a new entertainment company, complete with recorded music, television production, theater, and fashion, alongside a branding and management company launching and re-launching the various careers of such artists as Usher whose “Confessions” release has sold over 15 million copies to date world wide, Grammy winner and Latin pop star Marc Anthony, and teen sensation Lindsay Lohan.^[2] In addition to these superstars 2006 saw Cassie Ventura #1 for seven weeks and MottoIa’s most recent signing, Mika, is emerging to be the world wide success story of 2007 as his current single resides at #1 on the UK charts.

A collaboration with former Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein has them teamed on two current projects for live theater, namely producers of Pink Floyd's The Wall. Mottola's TV production arm is currently producing and developing many shows for cable and network television.

Known also for his many philanthropic activities, Mottola has served on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Police Athletic League, T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, Leukemia and AIDS Research, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation and Museum, and the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation.

CBS/Sony years

Mottola left the agency in 1988, when he was picked to run CBS Records at the age of 37.

Soon afterward, Sony Corporation closed on its deal to buy the CBS Records group unit from CBS, naming him President and CEO of the music division, where he succeeded his former mentor Walter Yetnikoff, who had originally brought Mottola into CBS.

In 1989, Brenda K. Starr, a Columbia artist, handed Mottola a demo tape from one of her backup singers. Initially he tossed it aside, but later decided to listen to it. So awestruck was he by her polished coloratura soprano, he tracked down the singer, a then-unknown Mariah Carey, immediately signing her and starting one of the most expensive promotion campaigns ever for a new artist. Mottola is seen as the main architect for Mariah's phenomenal success in the early years of her career.

In June 1993, Mottola married Carey in a lavish ceremony, but the marriage was short-lived with the couple separating in late December 1996 and divorcing in early 1998. In 2000, with one album on her record contract remaining, Carey, at the time Columbia's biggest selling artist, signed an $80 million contract with Virgin records. On Carey's 2008 release, E=MC², she included the song "Side Effects" that outlines the challenges she found within her marriage to Mottola, including references of living in a 'private hell' and of 'violent times'.

Mottola later went on to date other stars before dating Latin singer Thalía, whom he married in December 2000. He is credited with creating the Latin Explosion in popular music by championing such Sony artists as Gloria Estefan, Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and YouTube celebrity Mia Rose. Additionally Mottola was the architect for some of Sony's biggest global brands, including Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. During his 15 year tenure, Mottola built Sony up from a company with revenues of 800 million dollars a year to one with over 6 billion dollars of annual revenue by the year 2000.

After Sony

Tommy Mottola was the head of Sony Music Entertainment until January 2003. Mottola bought out the rights to Casablanca Records (a then-diminished imprint of Polygram), and resurrected it, signing actress Lindsay Lohan, and singer Mika.

References in Popular Culture

• Tommy Mottola is the subject of the Regurgitator song "I Love Tommy Mottola" from the album '...art'.

References

1. Tommy Mottola entry at NNDB
2. Men of the Week: Business. AskMen

Notes

1. ^ "Sony Chairman Tommy Mottola Steps Down."mtv.com
2. ^ "Lohan to testify in mother's case." contactmusic