Nashville, TN – Phil Thornton, Senior Vice President and General Manager of RCA Inspiration, has been named one of Billboard’s “40 Under 40” honorees for 2019 (https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8530921/40-under-40-billboard-full-list-music-industry-power-players). The prestigious list, which is included in Billboard magazine’s issue dated September 28th, is comprised of top music executives under the age of 40 who are demonstrating exemplary leadership in their respective fields and helping to redefine the industry.
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Thornton with gospel star Kirk Franklin. Photo
by Ray Alston/Alston Media Group.
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At RCA Inspiration, Thornton drives the day-to-day initiatives, manages business operations and establishes partnerships for the Nashville, TN based label. RCAI, the premiere label in gospel and urban inspirational music, is home to renowned superstar artists including Kirk Franklin, Travis Greene, Koryn Hawthorne, Israel Houghton, Le’Andria Johnson, Donald Lawrence, Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Sapp, and Kierra Sheard and will be releasing new albums from Greene and McClurkin later in 2019.
In addition to Thornton’s career in music, he is also an accomplished television and film producer, having executive produced the hit TV series, R&B Divas Atlanta, R&B Divas LA (TV One) and It’s A Mann’s World (BET) and films, A Boy. A Girl. A Dream: Love on Election Night and Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Miche’le. Additionally, he is actively involved in the entertainment industry at large and the community, serving on the boards of the Recording Academy’s Nashville chapter, the Gospel Music Association, the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) and Hope for Harvest. On being included among this elite group who are making monumental strides in the music business, Thornton says, “I am truly humbled to be recognized by Billboard in this way! I’m also grateful to have such an amazing team around me at RCAI who makes the work that we do possible!”