Steve Gottlieb

Steven Gottlieb, is the entrepreneurial mind and visionary force behind TVT Records, the largest independently owned and freestanding record label in the United States, a pioneer in digital music delivery with leading distribution and music publishing divisions.

Gottlieb, who founded TVT Records at the age of 28, opted not to use his blue chip law degrees on Wall Street -- "I've always had a healthy disregard for institutions," he told The Wall Street Journal. Instead he began creating the platform for what today is an industry-leading business.

Combining legal acumen, a passion for pop culture and an ability to unravel years of red tape, Gottlieb assembled America's best loved TV show themes in the wildly successful Television's Greatest Hits album series. The series success -- in the face of industry pundits who said it couldn't be done -- provided him with the capital and confidence to launch TVT as a full-fledged independent record label.

Steve Gottlieb's spirit of bucking the music industry establishment and an innate knack for identifying and unleashing underappreciated popular sentiment has remained a staple quality that underlines all of TVT's endeavors. Reflections of this spirit appear in the innovative artists Gottlieb has signed to TVT roster, introducing to the world such impact artists as Nine Inch Nails, Underworld and Ja Rule ‚ artists that in one way or another have changed the face of music.

Looking for a leader to put a face on their changing business model, Credit Suisse First Boston chose Steve in 2000 as spokesperson in a major television and print advertising campaign for CSFBdirect, the bank's online trading division. His presence consistently in demand, Gottlieb is a frequent speaker at Harvard, one of his alma maters. In 2004 he was a panelist at the Billboard Music & Money Conference and CMJ Music Marathon, and delivered the keynote address at the Atlantis Music Conference.

In digital music Steve Gottlieb's forward-thinking has allowed TVT to lead the industry. A visionary approach to the explosion resulted in his holding seats on the board of directors of MusicMatch and the advisory board of Napster. "The online use of music should be nurtured and encouraged," he said. "We recognized early on that that the online experience wasn't a one-for-one substitution of CDs." The first significant label to offer its entire catalog of music for downloading online, TVT was also the first independent label to take a stand against online piracy. On April 3, 2001 alongside such industry luminaries as Ken Berry and Dick Parsons, Gottlieb addressed the Senate Judiciary Committee at a hearing on digital music legislation.

Steve Gottlieb's entrepreneurial spirit began at a very young age. Born and raised in New Rochelle, New York, he cut his teeth working with his family's merchandise company, Two Plus Three/Two's Company, which specialized in pop-art replicas and oversized housewares and giftwares. At the age of twelve, he began frequenting trade shows and honed his sales skills on behalf of the family business.

While always a music junkie, Gottlieb's interest in the music business was sparked when he managed his good friend, jazz pianist Jon Jarvis while attending Yale University. Today, he is credited with a keen sense of street marketing -- cultivating a campaign that catapulted little-known cult musician Trent Reznor into a global sensation with multi-platinum sales for his band, Nine Inch Nails. "Our philosophy was effectively create a new business around each artist," he recently told Billboard. "Look for singular, unique artists and create an environment in which they can thrive, and give them the thing that is more important than money, which is time and attention in the marketplace and the ability to find one's audience." This template for success has been repeated time and time again at TVT, most recently by helping brand the current hottest movement in hip-hop ‚ "Crunk" ‚ thereby making superstars out of its leaders: Lil Jon & The EastSide Boyz, The Ying Yang Twins and Pitbull.

At a time when the music industry is experiencing an "indie explosion" with independent labels enjoying a collective number two market share overall, Steve Gottlieb's TVT Records leads the pack. According to Billboard and Soundscan TVT is the #1 independent record label the last three years running. Opening 2004 with an historic feat -- holding the Top 6 Independent Albums in the country -- it is not surprising that TVT finished 2004 with muscle. It was its biggest year in a thriving 19-year history, owning the Top 3 selling independent releases of the year, and 8 of the Top 20.

Entering 2005, it is not a surprise that Steve Gottlieb's TVT has taken a leading role in the newly formed American Association of Independent Music (AAIM), a coalition formed to represent the interests of independent labels. This crucial organization will act as a counter-balance to preferential treatment toward majors in the areas of digital music distribution, copyright law, radio regulation, piracy, CD manufacturing and even health insurance.

A native of New York, Steve Gottlieb graduated cum laude from Yale University with a B.A. in Comparative Literature and earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He and his wife Stephanie are the proud parents of two children.