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| Motown Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Universal Music Group (UMG) |
| Founded | January 12, 1959 |
| Founder | Berry Gordy |
| Distributor(s) |
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| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1] |
| Official website | motownrecords |
| Part of a series on |
| African Americans |
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Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959,[2][3] and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960.[4] Its name, a portmanteau of motor and town, has become a nickname for Detroit, where the label was originally headquartered.
Motown played a vital role in the racial integration of popular music as an African American-owned label that achieved crossover success with white audiences. In the 1960s, Motown and its subsidiary labels (including Tamla-Motown, the brand used outside the US) were the most prominent exponents of what became known as the Motown sound, a style of soul music with a mainstream pop appeal. Motown was the most successful soul music label, with a net worth of $61 million. During the 1960s, Motown achieved 79 records in the top-ten of the Billboard Hot 100 between 1960 and 1969.
Following the events of the Detroit Riots of 1967, and the loss of key songwriting/production team Holland–Dozier–Holland that year over pay disputes, Gordy moved Motown to Los Angeles, California. Motown expanded into film and television production. It was an independent company until MCA Records bought it in 1988. PolyGram purchased the label from MCA in 1993, followed by MCA successor Universal Music Group, which acquired PolyGram in 1999.[2]
Motown spent much of the 2000s headquartered in New York City as a part of the UMG subsidiaries Universal Motown and Universal Motown Republic Group. From 2011 to 2014, it was a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group division of Universal Music.[5][6][7] In 2014, however, UMG announced the dissolution of Island Def Jam, and Motown relocated back to Los Angeles to operate under the Capitol Music Group, now operating out of the Capitol Tower.[1] In 2018, Motown was inducted into Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in a ceremony held at the Charles H. Wright Museum.[8]
In 2021, Motown separated from the Capitol Music Group to become a standalone label once again.[9] On November 29, 2022, Ethiopia Habtemariam announced that she would be stepping down as chairwoman/CEO of Motown.[10] As of 2023, the label has many acts signed such as City Girls, Diddy, Migos, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, Smino, Vince Staples, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and several other artists in the hip-hop and R&B genres.
- ^ a b "A revitalized Capitol Records forges a new path forward". Los Angeles Times. February 3, 2015. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- ^ a b Cruz, Gilbert (January 12, 2009). "A Brief History of Motown". Time. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ "History – Classic Motown". Motown Records. Archived from the original on January 11, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ Woodford, Arthur M. (2001). This is Detroit, 1701 – 2001 (1st ed.). Detroit, Mich.: Wayne State University Press. p. 198. ISBN 0-8143-2914-4.
- ^ "Ethiopia Habtemariam Named Senior Vice President of Motown Records". Billboard.biz. August 10, 2011. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
- ^ Sisario, Ben (August 10, 2011). "A Young Music Executive Takes Over at Motown". Archived from the original on January 17, 2016.
- ^ "Brandon Creed Joins Universal Republic And Island Def Jam Motown". Universal Music. August 15, 2011. Archived from the original on November 13, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
- ^ "Motown Records Leads the 2018 Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Class of Inductees". SoulTracks. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ Millman, Ethan (March 8, 2021). "Ethiopia Habtemariam, Motown Records' New CEO, on Recentering Black Music in Culture". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (November 29, 2022). "Ethiopia Habtemariam to Step Down From Motown Records". Variety.