Troy Tomlinson (born January 18, 1964) is an American music executive and the Chairman and CEO of

Universal Music Publishing Group Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a North American music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group. It was formerly known as MCA Music Publishing until it merged with PolyGram. Universal Music Publishing is the worl ...

Nashville. Upon assuming the role on July 1, 2019, Tomlinson became the first Chairman and CEO to run a major music publishing company in Nashville. Universal Music Publishing Nashville's roster includes writer/artists

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

Kenny Chesney Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has recorded more than 20 albums and has produced more than 40 Top 10 singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs and Country ...

Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...

, Luke Combs,

Sam Hunt Sam Lowry Hunt (born December 8, 1984) is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Cedartown, Georgia, Hunt played football in his high school and college years and once attempted to pursue a professional sports career before signing with MCA ...

, Maren Morris,

Scotty McCreery Scott Cooke McCreery (born October 9, 1993) is an American country music singer. He rose to fame after winning the tenth season of ''American Idol'' on May 25, 2011. His debut studio album, '' Clear as Day'', was released in October 2011 and w ...

Brad Tursi Old Dominion is an American country music band formed in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Matthew Ramsey (lead vocals), Trevor Rosen (guitar, keyboards), Whit Sellers (drums), Geoff Sprung (bass guitar), and Brad Tursi (guitar). Thei ...

Ingrid Andress Ingrid Elizabeth Andress (born September 21, 1991) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Her breakthrough single, " More Hearts Than Mine" peaked at number 30 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Andress released her debut studio album '' ...

Caylee Hammack Caylee Anna Hammack (born March 19, 1994) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is signed to Capitol Records Nashville and released her debut album '' If It Wasn't for You'' on August 14, 2020. Early life Hammack started play ...

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

Caitlyn Smith Caitlyn Smith (born June 13, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She was raised in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Smith's debut album ''Starfire'' was released on Monument Records on January 19, 2018. Her second studio album, ''Supern ...

Danielle Bradbery Danielle Simone Bradbery (born July 23, 1996) is an American country pop singer. She won season 4 of NBC's ''The Voice'' in 2013, becoming the youngest artist to win the competition at age 16. Bradbery's record has since been eclipsed by Sawyer ...

, Ian Munsick, Laci Kaye Booth,

Hunter Hayes Hunter Easton Hayes (born September 9, 1991) is an American multi-genre singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is proficient at more than 30 instruments. Hayes released his self-titled debut album in 2011. It reache ...

Sara Evans Sara Lynn Evans (; born February 5, 1971) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is also credited as a record producer, actress, and author. She had five songs reach the number one spot on the ''Billboard'' country songs cha ...

, Lily Rose, Will Jones, Band Loula, Dillon James, Lydia Sutherland, Tanner Adell, Carter Faith, Matt Schuster, Ben Goldsmith, Catie Offerman, Lukas Nelson, as well as Brandi Carlile. Notable songwriters include Chase McGill,

Dave Cobb Dave Cobb (born July 9, 1974) is an American record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee, best known for producing the work of Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, John Prine, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, The Highwomen and Rival Sons . Cob ...

, Ray Fulcher, Justin Ebach, Derrick Southerland, John Pierce,

Shane Minor Shane Allen Minor (born May 3, 1968) is an American country music artist. Signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 1999, Minor released his self-titled album that year, and it produced three hit singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & ...

, Greylan James,

Paul DiGiovanni Boys Like Girls is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2005, the group gained mainstream recognition when it released its self-titled debut album which went on to sell over 700,000 albums in the United States earning a ...

, Sam Ellis,

Troy Verges Troy Verges is an American songwriter of country and pop music from Louisiana. Career His first cut as a songwriter was a track on Faith Hill's '' Breathe''. His credits include the singles "Wanted", recorded by Hunter Hayes; "Beer Money", re ...

, Jacob Davis, Marc Scibilia, Adam James, Bart Butler, Benjy Davis, Connor James, Joe Clemmons, Matt McVaney, Ross Ellis,

Sean McConnell Sean McConnell is an American folk and country singer-songwriter. Biography McConnell was born in Athol, Massachusetts to two folk singers who played in local venues in the Boston area. His family moved to Georgia when he was eleven years old ...

, Evan Cline, Kyle Sturrock, Allison Veltz Cruz,

Seth Ennis Seth Ennis (born November 30, 1992) is an American country music singer. He has released one single for Arista Nashville. History Ennis was born in Dothan, Alabama into a military family. He calls Valdosta, Georgia home. He played drums and pian ...

Brian Koppelman Brian William Koppelman (born April 27, 1966) is an American showrunner. Koppelman is the co-writer of ''Ocean's Thirteen'' and ''Rounders'', the producer for films including '' The Illusionist'' and '' The Lucky Ones'', the director for films inc ...

, and Mary Steenburgen. Significant catalogs include MCA Music, Almo Irving, Cedarwood/Sawgrass, Hall-Clement, PiGem/Chess, Polygram/Welk, BMG I, Zomba, MTM and ABC Music. Prominent catalog songwriters include Bob McDill,

Jim Weatherly James Dexter Weatherly (March 17, 1943 – February 3, 2021) was an American singer-songwriter who wrote mostly pop and country music. He played quarterback at the University of Mississippi while also writing music with his own bands. He subseq ...

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", " By the Time I Get to Phoenix", " MacArthur Park", " Wichita Lineman", " Wo ...

Don Schlitz Donald Alan Schlitz Jr. (born August 29, 1952) is an American country music songwriter. For his songwriting efforts, Schlitz has earned two Grammy Awards, as well as four ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year awards. In 1993, he was inducted int ...

Dave Loggins David Allen Loggins (born November 10, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Musical career Loggins is best known for his 1974 song composition "Please Come to Boston", which was a No. 5 popular music success (No. 1 Easy Listen ...

Delbert McClinton Delbert McClinton (born November 4, 1940) is an American blues rock and electric blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist. From his first professional stage appearance in 1957 to his most recent national tour in 2018, ...

, Jimmy Buffett,

Tony Arata Anthony Michael Arata (born October 10, 1957) is an American singer-songwriter. His best known song is " The Dance", a number-one U.S. country hit for Garth Brooks in 1990 which was nominated at the 33rd Grammy Awards for Best Country Song. He al ...

, Mike Reid,

Allen Shamblin Allen Shamblin is a country music songwriter who was born in Tennessee, and was brought up in Huffman, Texas. After graduating from Sam Houston State University he worked in Austin as a real estate appraiser. In 1987, he quit his job and move ...

, Emmylou Harris,

Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The De ...

K.T. Oslin Kay Toinette Oslin (May 15, 1942 – December 21, 2020) was an American country music singer-songwriter. She had several years of major commercial success in the late 1980s after signing a record deal at age 45. Oslin had four number one hits and ...

and

Matraca Berg Matraca Maria Berg Hanna (; born February 3, 1964, in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She has released five albums: three for RCA Records, one for Rising Tide Records and one for Dualtone Records, and ...

Personal

Tomlinson was born and raised in

Portland, Tennessee Portland is a city in Sumner and Robertson counties in Tennessee. The population was 11,486 in 2010 according estimates by the U.S. census bureau and in 2020 the population was 13,156. Portland is a part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistica ...

, the son of Ella and Vernon Tomlinson. He graduated from Portland High School in 1982. Tomlinson is married, with two children and three grandchildren.

Career

After high school, Tomlinson pursued what he thought was his lifelong vocation as a machinist. His first job following graduation was an apprenticeship position at a plastics company in Portland. While working there, he received second and third degree burns on both hands. At the time, a new acquaintance of his, Cliff Williamson, was searching for a trainee song-plugger at a newly formed publishing company, Multimedia Entertainment in Nashville. In 1983 Williamson hired Tomlinson. After Multimedia was sold, one of Tomlinson's songwriters,

Don King Donald King (born August 20, 1931) is an American boxing promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups. He has been a controversial figure, partly due to a manslaughter conviction and civil cases against him, as well a ...

, asked Tomlinson to help him start his own company. Not long after, Muscle Shoals studio mogul

Rick Hall Roe Erister "Rick" Hall (January 31, 1932 – January 2, 2018) was an American record producer, songwriter, and musician who became known as the owner of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. As the "Father of Muscle Shoals Music", he was in ...

tapped Tomlinson to run the Nashville division of Hall's publishing company, Fame Music Group.Dionne, Penny & McConnell, Troy, ''Songplugger: The Cuts and The Bruises'' (2008), Nakita’s Trail PublishingDaley, Dan, ''Nashville’s Unwritten Rules'' (1998), The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc. In 1988 Tomlinson caught the attention of Jerry Bradley, who had become president of Gaylord Entertainment's 16th Avenue Records and Acuff-Rose Music Publishing. Bradley brought Tomlinson to

Acuff-Rose Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. was an American music publishing firm formed in 1942 by Roy Acuff and Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Acuff-Rose's honest behavior towards their writers set them apart from other music publishing firms ...

, where he worked with famed songwriters

Dean Dillon Dean Dillon (born Larry Dean Flynn; March 26, 1955) is an American country musician and songwriter. Between 1982 and 1993, he recorded six studio albums on various labels, and charted several singles on the '' Billboard'' country charts. Since 1 ...

Skip Ewing Donald Ralph "Skip" Ewing (born March 6, 1964) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Active since 1988, Ewing has recorded nine studio albums and has charted 15 singles on the '' Billboard'' country charts. Career Ewing was born ...

, and

Whitey Shafer Sanger D. Shafer (October 24, 1934 – January 12, 2019),
- at Kosser, Michael, ''How Nashville Became Music City, U.S.A.'' (2006), Hal Leonard Corp. Tomlinson is also credited with the discovery of

,Foehr, Stephen, ''Waking Up In Nashville'' (2002), Sanctuary Publishing Limited the Country Music Association's four time Entertainer of the Year. During Tomlinson's 14 years at Acuff-Rose Music Publishing, he rose through the ranks to the position of Executive Vice President of Acuff-Rose Music Publishing. In the summer of 2002,

Gaylord Entertainment Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. () is a hotel, resort, entertainment, and Mass media, media company named after National Historic Landmark the Ryman Auditorium, built as a tabernacle by Captain Thomas G. Ryman in 1892 and later the home of the ...

sold

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...

, which had previously purchased Tree International, Acuff-Rose's perennial rival. Tomlinson was asked by then President/CEO, Donna Hilley, to join the company as Vice President of Creative. In 2005, Tomlinson was appointed President/CEO of

Nashville. While continuing to work with the aforementioned artists, he has also overseen the songwriting careers of artists such as

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country singer and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place o ...

, Luke Bryan,

Eric Church Kenneth Eric Church (born May 3, 1977) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released nine studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's '' Sinners Like Me'', produced three singles on the ''Billboar ...

Darius Rucker Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Ca ...

Kelsea Ballerini Kelsea Nicole Ballerini (born September 12, 1993) is an American country pop singer. She began songwriting as a child and signed with Black River Entertainment in 2014, releasing her debut studio album the following year, '' The First Time''. H ...

Blake Shelton Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...

Thomas Rhett Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

Gary Levox Gary LeVox (born Gary Wayne Vernon Jr., July 10, 1970) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for being the lead vocalist of the contemporary country music band Rascal Flatts, and his stage name was taken from the studio-console label ...

(

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cou ...

Brett Eldredge Brett Ryan Eldredge (born March 23, 1986) is an American country music singer, songwriter and record producer, signed to Warner Music Group Nashville. Eldredge has had five No. 1 singles on the ''Billboard'' Country Airplay chart, three of ...

Jon Pardi Jonathan Ryan Pardi (born May 20, 1985) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Capitol Nashville, he has released four studio albums: ''Write You a Song'' (2014), ''California Sunrise'' (2016), ''Heartache Medication'' (2 ...

The Band Perry The Band Perry are an American band composed of siblings Kimberly Perry (lead vocals, guitar), Reid Perry (bass guitar, background vocals), and Neil Perry ( mandolin, bouzouki, background vocals). They signed to Republic Nashville in August ...

, Mitchell Tenpenny,

Jimmie Allen James Edward Allen (born June 18, 1985) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is signed to Broken Bow Records imprint Stoney Creek, for which he has released the two singles " Best Shot" and "Make Me Want To" and the 2018 album ...

Cole Swindell Colden Rainey Swindell (born June 30, 1983) is an American rock music singer and songwriter. He has written singles for Craig Campbell, Thomas Rhett, Scotty McCreery, and Luke Bryan, and has released four albums for Warner Bros. Records Nashvil ...

Randy Houser Shawn Randolph Houser (born December 18, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Universal South Records in 2008, he charted the single "Anything Goes". It was a top 20 hit on the ''Billboard'' country singles chart a ...

Charlie Worsham Charlie Worsham (born September 1, 1985) is an American country music singer, songwriter and actor. He is signed to Warner Bros. Records. Charlie is currently a member of Dierks Bentley's tour band. He is a former member of the band Old Crow Med ...

High Valley High Valley is a Canadian country music band from Blumenort, Alberta, a small community near the hamlet of La Crete. The group is composed of Brad Rempel (lead vocals) and his supporting band, Dave Myers (bass guitar), Sam Bergeson (vocals), Ray ...

, and

Chase Rice Chase Rice (born September 19, 1985) is an American country music singer, songwriter and reality television personality. He first came to prominence in 2010 while he was a contestant on '' Survivor: Nicaragua'', where he was the runner-up to J ...

. In addition to Sony/ATV Music Publishing's writer/artists, Tomlinson also guided the careers of hit songwriters Tom Douglas, Josh Osborne,

Chris DeStefano Christopher Michael DeStefano is a Grammy Award-winning American singer/songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist currently living in Nashville. As a songwriter, he has multiple #1 songs with artists Carrie Underwood ( “Good Girl ...

, Ross Copperman,

Jon Nite Jon Nite (born March 19, 1980) is a Grammy-nominated, CMA and ACM award winning singer/songwriter who has written 16 No.1 hits. Nite's songs have been recorded by artists such as Charlie Puth, Keith Urban, Dan & Shay, Gabby Barrett, Luke Bryan, Br ...

Jaren Johnston Jaren Ray Johnston (born October 4, 1980) is an American country music and rock singer and songwriter. He is a member of the group The Cadillac Three. Career Jaren is a multiple time Grammy nominated songwriter and producer. Johnston was former ...

, Lindsay Rimes,

Jim Beavers Jim Beavers is an American country music songwriter. Early life and education Jim Beavers grew up in Garland and Jacksonville, Texas. His educational background includes a BBA from Baylor University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University. Care ...

Luke Laird Luke Robert Laird (born May 4, 1978 in Hartstown, Pennsylvania) is an American country music songwriter and producer. He has written over 20 number one ''Billboard'' singles, including Carrie Underwood's "So Small", "Temporary Home", and " Un ...

, Bill Anderson, and

Bobby Braddock Robert Valentine Braddock (born August 5, 1940) is an American country songwriter and record producer. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Braddock has contributed numerous hit songs during mor ...

to name a few. He was responsible for stewarding the song catalogs of Hank Williams,

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled a ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many ...

Guy Clark Guy Charles Clark (November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffet ...

John Bettis John Gregory Bettis (born October 24, 1946) is an American lyricist. He was originally part of the band Spectrum, which also featured Richard and Karen Carpenter. He wrote the lyrics for " Top of the World", a hit for both Lynn Anderson and Th ...

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on ...

Hank Cochran Garland Perry "Hank" Cochran (August 2, 1935 – July 15, 2010) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting during the 1960s, Cochran was a prolific songwriter in the genre, including major hits by Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Eddy ...

, Roy Acuff and

the Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

. Under Tomlinson's leadership in 2007,

Nashville became the only country music publishing company in history to win the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers’ (ASCAP) Country Publisher of the Year, Broadcast Music International's (BMI) Country Publisher of the Year, the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers’ (SESAC) Country Publisher of the Year, and

Billboard's ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

Publisher and Publishing Corporation of the Year, the same year. The unprecedented accomplishment of 2005 was again attained by

in 2012, making

Nashville the only Country publisher to have ever captured "Publisher of the Year" at all three PROs in a single year. Additionally,

Nashville was named BMI's Publisher of the Year for an unprecedented 16 consecutive years, as well as

Country Publisher of the Year for the same time period. After 17 years with

, Tomlinson left his role as president and CEO to become Chairman and CEO at

Nashville. Tomlinson reports to Jody Gerson, Chairman and Chief Executive Office of

. The two worked together at

from 2008 until Gerson joined

in 2015.

Recognitions

In October 2014, Tomlinson was presented with the Keystone Award by the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation for his extraordinary efforts in bringing together Nashville's Business and Creative communities to create the first permanent home for the

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970 by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is ...

. In April 2016, he was honored with

Belmont University Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...

's 2016 Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence for his outstanding three decade career on Nashville's

Music Row Music Row is a historic district located southwest of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Widely considered the heart of Nashville's entertainment industry, Music Row has also become a metonymous nickname for the music industry as a w ...

. In October 2017, Tomlinson was presented with the Nashville Inspiration Award for his lifetime commitment to serving others.

Activities

* Tennessee Entertainment Commission - Past Chairman * Country Music Association Board of Directors – Past Chairman * Leadership Music – Class of 1997 *

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amas ...

Board *

Country Music Foundation The Country Music Foundation (CMF) chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and education surrounding country music. The CMF currently employs more than 70 full-time professionals and is ...

Board *

Board of Trustees *

Broadcast Music, Inc. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 milli ...

Foundation * Onsite Foundation Board

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomlinson, Troy Living people 21st-century American businesspeople 1964 births