“Soul Since 1959!”

Motown Records is the Detroit record company associated with legends such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and responsible for works from many modern acts like Kanye West and Anderson Paak.

It was founded January 12, 1959 by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records but was changed to Motown within a year. As an African American owned label, it played a huge role in the success of integration, as it incorporated black culture into its signees' music without risking popularity or quality.

By the 90s, Motown Records had been relocated to Los Angeles and expanded into film production, bringing more impact and influence to its catalogue.

It distributed music from some of the biggest R&B and soul acts during the 20th century, and as time passed began to flesh out and develop into modern hip hop and pop.

The company’s more modern distributions include their work on the critically acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Jay Z’s hip hop classic, The Blueprint.

Motown is cited today as one of music’s most iconic and influential figure heads, and their impact on music continues to grow and flourish.

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