Tom Corson is an American record executive. He is the co-chairman and chief operating officer of Warner Records, a position he has held since January 2018.[1] He was previously the president and chief operating officer of RCA Records.[2][3][4]
Early life and education
Corson was born and grew up in Seattle, Washington. He moved to Los Angeles in 1978 to attend UCLA. He interned at IRS Records during his junior and senior year, and graduated from UCLA in 1982 with a BA in business/economics.[5]
Career
1985-1990: IRS Records, A&M Records
Following his graduation, IRS hired Corson as director of West Coast sales; in 1985, he was named director of West Coast promotion.[6] At IRS—a "giant of the post-punk era"—he worked with artists including the Go Go's, R.E.M., the English Beat and General Public.[7][8]
In 1985, Corson moved to A&M Records to become the executive assistant to the label's president, Gil Friesen. As Friesen's executive assistant, Corson performed roles in special projects, product management, international marketing, marketing, and A&R at the label. He was named vice president of marketing in 1989. At A&M, Corson was recognized for his role in the success of artists including Soundgarden, Simple Minds, and UB40.[9][10]
1990-1999: Capitol Records, Columbia Records
Corson was hired by Capitol Records as vice president of international in 1990, and was promoted to senior vice president of domestic marketing in 1993. He oversaw the global campaigns for MC Hammer's two Capitol releases, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em and Too Legit to Quit, which together sold more than 17 million copies worldwide. He also worked closely with Radiohead, who released their major label debut, Pablo Honey, in 1993.[11] and orchestrated the marketing campaigns for Mazzy Star and the Frank SinatraDuets album, among others.
In January 1996, Corson was named senior vice president of marketing for Columbia Records and moved from Los Angeles to Columbia's headquarters in New York City.[12] During Corson's tenure, Columbia's market share increased,[13] with hit records in multiple genres including pop (Train), rock (System of a Down) and Latin music (Ricky Martin) in addition to soundtrack releases such as Armageddon and Men in Black. Corson left Columbia in December 1999 to accept a position as senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Arista Records.[14]
1999-2007: J Records, Arista, RCA Music Group
After an industry outcry when parent company BMG ousted Arista founder and CEO Clive Davis from the label in 2000, BMG invested $150 million to launch J Records, a joint venture with Davis.[15] An "instant major," Davis hired Corson as executive vice president of worldwide marketing.[16][17] J was a success from the start, with the label's inaugural release, Alicia Keys'Songs in A Minor, selling over 12,000,000 records worldwide.[18][19] That same year, O-Town's self-titled debut achieved multi-platinum sales; Inside Magazine called its marketing plan "one of the most elaborate star-making campaigns of the modern media age."[20]
J Records dominated the charts during its three-year existence as a standalone label, releasing hit records by artists including Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Pearl Jam, and the winners from the American Idol franchise. Rod Stewart'sGreat American Songbook releases became the biggest-selling ongoing series of new music recordings in history,[21] and Luther Vandross had the first #1 record of his career, Dance With My Father.[22]
In 2002, BMG bought a majority stake in J and folded it into the RCA Music Group—which also included Arista—and appointed Davis president and CEO. Corson was named executive vice president and GM of Arista/J in 2004; there, he oversaw releases from Dido, Whitney Houston and Santana, among others.[23] In 2007, Corson was appointed executive vice president and GM of RCA Records. He held a central role in restructuring the company in the wake of a series of mergers.[24][25]
2007-2017: RCA Records
In 2007, Corson was appointed executive vice president and GM of RCA Records. He held a central role in restructuring the company in the wake of a series of mergers.[24][25]
Corson was an executive producer of the 2021 documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers. The film won a Producers Guild Award in 2022.[35]
Recognition
Corson appeared on the Billboard "Power 100" every year from 2012-2024.[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46] He appeared on the Billboard Country Power Players list in 2024.[47]Variety named Corson and Bay-Schuck executives of the year in 2024.[48]
In June 2016, with Peter Edge, the CEO and chairman of RCA, Corson eceived the UJA Music Visionary of the Year award.[50][51]
In 2020, he was named inaugural chair of the board of advisors for the UCLA School of Music Business, the first music school within the University of California system.[52]
He was the honoree of Saban Community Clinic's 29th Annual Golf Classic in 2022.[53] In June 2023, Corson received the TJ Martell Foundation Lifetime Music Industry Award at its New York Gala.[54]
Corson is the vice chairman of the executive committee of the board of directors for the TJ Martell Foundation [55] and a member of the Music and Entertainment Industry Board for City of Hope.[56]
