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Tommy Mottola Biography, Career, Net Worth, And Other Interesting Facts

Here's everything you need to know about Tommy Mottola, from his early days to becoming a powerhouse.

June 21, 2024

Tommy Mottola Biography, Career, Net Worth, And Other Interesting Facts

Tommy Mottola is an American businessman, record executive, television producer, theater producer, film producer, Author, investor, and serial entrepreneur born on July 14, 1948. He currently serves as Chairman of Mottola Media Group co-founded Ntertain Studios and is a founding partner of Range Media Partners.

Mottola gained significant recognition as Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment which owns the Columbia label a role he held for almost 15 years. Since the year 2000, he has been married to Thalía a well-known Mexican actress and singer.

Full Name	Thomas Daniel Mottola
Date of Birth	July 14, 1948
Place of Birth	Bronx, New York City, USA
Occupation	Music executive, producer
Spouse	Thalía (m. 2000) Mariah Carey (m. 1993–1998) Lisa Clark (m. 1971–1990)
Children	Sabrina Sakaë Mottola Sodi Michael Paul Mottola Sarah Lisa Mottola
Net Worth	$540 million

Tommy Mottola’s Early Life and Education

Tommy Mottola was born in The Bronx to a middle-class Italian-American family. He finished Iona Grammar School in 1962 and Iona Prep in 1966. After a brief stint in military school and dropping out of Hofstra University, he dove into music. Initially, he played guitar and sang in an R&B cover band called The Exotics.

In the mid-1960s, Mottola joined CBS Records as a recording artist under the name “T.D. Valentine”. When his solo career didn’t take off he shifted gears. He began working for Chappell Publishing and later launched his own management company Champion Entertainment Organization. At Chappell, he connected with many musicians and eventually signed his first successful clients Daryl Hall & John Oates. Mottola played a key role in getting them record deals and lucrative endorsements.

He also successfully managed the black-rock group Xavion using innovative strategies like music videos and corporate sponsorships for their tours.

Career

In 1988, Tommy Mottola was hired by Sony Music (then CBS Records) to lead its operations in the US and by 1990 he became the Chairman and CEO of Sony Music. Under his leadership, Sony Music expanded to more than sixty countries and was the first major music company to offer digital music downloads. By 2000 Sony Music was generating over $6 billion in annual revenue.

Mottola is well-known for signing major artists like Mariah Carey Celine Dion Destiny’s Child and others. He also oversaw the release of digitally remastered albums from legends such as Barbra Streisand and Bruce Springsteen.

His tenure with Michael Jackson began during the recording of the “Dangerous” album. However, their relationship soured by the time of Jackson’s “Invincible” album with Jackson accusing Mottola of unfair practices and racism though others like Al Sharpton defended Mottola’s support for the black music industry.

After leaving Sony in 2003, Tommy Mottola launched his own entertainment company focusing on music, TV theater, and fashion. He helped revive the careers of artists like Marc Anthony and Lindsay Lohan and also partnered with Universal Music Group to revive Casablanca Records.

Mottola authored a book called “Hitmaker” in 2013 and founded Mottola Media Group which produced projects like the Broadway musical adaptation of “A Bronx Tale” and documentaries for HBO.

In 2021, Mottola co-founded NTERTAIN Studios focusing on creating diverse content across various platforms particularly highlighting Latino stories and talent. The company has produced shows like “Los Montaners” for Disney+ and “Thalia’s Mixtape” for Paramount+.

Net Worth

Tommy Mottola has an estimated net worth of $540 Million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The main source of Tommy Mottola’s net worth comes from his career in the music industry. He made a lot of money as a top executive at Sony Music, where he helped many famous artists become successful. He also owns a music company called Mottola Media Group.

Personal life

Tommy Mottola has been married three times. His first marriage was to Lisa Clark the daughter of Sam Clark who was the head of ABC Records. They got married in 1971 after Tommy converted to Judaism. They divorced in 1990 after having two children together.

In June 1993, Tommy married Mariah Carey. They separated in May 1997 and finalized their divorce in March 1998.

Tommy’s third marriage was to Thalía which took place on December 2, 2000, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. They have two children together: a daughter born in October 2007 and a son born in June 2011.