Marlton, NJ – March 1, 2010 – NARM, the music business association, announces that Tom Silverman, the founder, chairman and CEO of Tommy Boy Entertainment, will be honored with the organization’s Independent Spirit Award at the Annual NARM Convention in Chicago on Monday, May 17.

The NARM Independent Spirit Award was established in 2009 to recognize a music industry executive who embodies the spirit of new thinking, entrepreneurship and success in the industry. The first Award was given to Don VanCleave, the founder and former president of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS).

With nearly 30 years of experience in the Hip-Hop, Urban, Alternative, Dance, Rock, and Gospel music markets, Silverman founded Dance Music Report in 1978, as well as the legendary New Music Seminar, considered the world’s seminal music industry convention through the 1980s, and which has been revitalized for a new audience of independent artists and labels in the past year.

NARM President Jim Donio says, “Tom is an especially fitting recipient of NARM’s Independent Spirit Award based on his longtime devotion and strong commitment to all facets of the independent music business. He has been a fierce and outspoken advocate for independent artists and labels and has inspired and educated with his creativity, business acumen and innovative ideas that have help shape and advance the industry.”

Silverman is serving on the boards of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), SoundExchange, and Merlin, a global licensing agency formed to assist independent labels and their trade associations to tap new revenue streams and provide access to independent repertoire. He has also served on the boards of the former National Association of Independent Record Distributors (which became the Association for Independent Music), the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the Dance Music Hall of Fame, as well as the original NARM Manufacturers Advisory Council and various other NARM committees. He received The Recording Academy (NARAS) Heroes Award in 2000.

Silverman says, “After participating in NARM conventions for 30 years, it is an enormous honor to receive this award especially at this crucial time for our business. It is our independent spirit that will allow the music business to reinvent itself and I have no doubt that with the help of NARM, music sales will thrive again.”