How Tommy Boone turned persistence into a career at Universal Music Group

Tommy Boone’s, BSC ’06, journey into the music industry didn’t start in Los Angeles or Nashville. It began in Columbus. From the start, he sought out ways to combine his passion for music with hands-on experience. He co-founded an online magazine, The Cypher Columbus, with a fellow alum, gaining real-world experience in journalism and promotion. While the project did well, it wasn’t enough to pay the bills, so Boone spent several years working in office jobs before a transfer moved him to Tucson, Arizona.

Even then, Boone’s determination didn’t waver. He took eight-hour round trips to Los Angeles for interviews. The effort eventually opened the door to a position at Universal Music Group, where he now serves as Associate Director of Royalties and Copyright. 

Reflecting on the early stages of his career, Boone said, “When I first graduated, I moved back to Columbus… there’s not a lot of music industry jobs there, so I tried to develop my own.” 

His story shows that breaking into the music industry often requires creativity, persistence, and the willingness to create opportunities where none exist.

In his current role, Boone oversees the Vendor Management and Special Projects teams, ensuring that artists and songwriters are paid accurately while implementing automation tools, which he calls “virtual robots,” to streamline business processes. He combines financial and data analysis, process automation and project management to solve complex industry challenges, blending technical expertise with a creative understanding of the music business.

Boone credits his college experience with giving him an early foundation for this work. As communications executive for the Hip Hop Congress, and as host of student-run radio shows “Mic Club” and “Beat Oracle,” he learned event planning, networking, and organizational skills that continue to serve him today. He also DJed on campus, which helped him understand the artist side of music, even though he realized his strengths were in analytics and operations rather than producing music.

He emphasizes the importance of moving to the heart of the industry and staying ahead of technological changes. 

“In my industry, things are moving much, much more towards automation,” Boone said. “It’s very important… to learn automation, coding languages like data analysis, expressions, or SQL or Visual Basic.” 

Boone’s path shows that persistence, curiosity, and adaptability are just as essential as passion for music itself, particularly in behind-the-scenes roles that keep the industry running.