Motown Record Corporation - Los Angeles, CA

**woodward** · 10-30-2016, 11:13 AM

Being as I have never been in California, I was wondering if there are any signs or traces of Motown TODAY in Los Angeles. Naturally, in Detroit there is the Motown Museum which is the crown jewel of the corporation, but I was wondering if anything, even miniscule, of Motown exists in Los Angeles. If not, I wonder why?

**johnny_raven** · 10-30-2016, 11:17 AM

Not that I've seen, other than certain artists on the Walk Of Fame.

L.A. is always about what's new, not what's "not new" [[I refuse to use the word "old").

**StuBass1** · 10-30-2016, 12:34 PM

Motown has abandoned most of it's former sites...The high rise building at Sunset & Vine which housed Motown's Los Angeles offices is still there...but not the sign in front that read Motown [[with the company's logo)...I was just driving past the former site of the Mowest studios in West Hollywood a few weeks ago and you can't even really see where the studio sat with a mass of development going on all around that site...Office and apartment buildings...If you drive down the 134 freeway...there might be a Motown sign on the building of Warner Music Group...as their large building has signs for all of its several subsidiaries...I was driving by that site last week and noticed some of the other former record companies...but didn't see Motown...Might have just missed it...

**robb_k** · 10-30-2016, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by StuBass1

Motown has abandoned most of it's former sites...The high rise building at Sunset & Vine which housed Motown's Los Angeles offices is still there...but not the sign in front that read Motown [[with the company's logo)...I was just driving past the former site of the Mowest studios in West Hollywood a few weeks ago and you can't even really see where the studio sat with a mass of development going on all around that site...Office and apartment buildings...If you drive down the 134 freeway...there might be a Motown sign on the building of Warner Music Group...as their large building has signs for all of its several subsidiaries...I was driving by that site last week and noticed some of the other former record companies...but didn't see Motown...Might have just missed it...

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Motown is, or was, a subsidiary of The Warner Music Group??? Did Warner's buy out or buy up Universal???

**StuBass1** · 10-30-2016, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by robb_k

Motown is, or was, a subsidiary of The Warner Music Group??? Did Warner's buy out or buy up Universal???

Good call...I wasn't sure if it was Warner or Universal that I passed and saw the label signs, but I believe that Warner is the one in Burbank...Probably Warner I saw...That said, you are correct...Motown is a sub-subsidiary of Universal [[which I should have known since I had some dealings with them on my work with The Funk Brothers a few years ago), falling today under the Capital Records umbrella...Regardless...Really no significant Motown signage, real estate, or visibility as it operates out of the Capital Records tower and Motown as a corporation today exists largely on paper focusing largely on re-issues...Seems like Warner and Universal have gobbled up all those Independents over the years...

**soulster** · 10-30-2016, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by StuBass1

Motown has abandoned most of it's former sites...The high rise building at Sunset & Vine which housed Motown's Los Angeles offices is still there...but not the sign in front that read Motown [[with the company's logo)...I was just driving past the former site of the Mowest studios in West Hollywood a few weeks ago and you can't even really see where the studio sat with a mass of development going on all around that site...Office and apartment buildings...If you drive down the 134 freeway...there might be a Motown sign on the building of Warner Music Group...as their large building has signs for all of its several subsidiaries...I was driving by that site last week and noticed some of the other former record companies...but didn't see Motown...Might have just missed it...

That's strange. Motown is a Universal label, not a Warner label.

I was in Hollywood a couple of years ago and drove past the Capitol Records building, but was more interested in seeing the mastering building next to it.

**marv2** · 10-30-2016, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by soulster

That's strange. Motown is a Universal label, not a Warner label.

I was in Hollywood a couple of years ago and drove past the Capitol Records building, but was more interested in seeing the mastering building next to it.

I was in Hollywood Nov. 2014 and had not even thought about Motown or where it was located. To me, Motown is Detroit as it should have always been.

**soulster** · 10-31-2016, 04:48 AM

Originally Posted by marv2

I was in Hollywood Nov. 2014 and had not even thought about Motown or where it was located. To me, Motown is Detroit as it should have always been.

Never made peace with that, eh? LOL!

**thommg** · 10-31-2016, 10:40 AM

I'm heading to LA in December. I should put together a list of addresses and Motown places so I can visit them. I'd never thought of doing that before. Could be fun.

**StuBass1** · 10-31-2016, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by thommg

I'm heading to LA in December. I should put together a list of addresses and Motown places so I can visit them. I'd never thought of doing that before. Could be fun.

Not really much to see...I'd spend my time at some of the other major atttractions L.A. has to offer...Lots of hi rise office buildings in most cities and any other former Motown sites are really nothing but new construction and office buildings....You may enjoy one of the Star Tours though where you can see the current or former houses of some Motown artists as well as other famous people...You can take a bus tour, or purchase the maps and drive by the locations yourself. Beware though...Some of the maps being sold are bogus...

**thommg** · 10-31-2016, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by StuBass1

Not really much to see...I'd spend my time at some of the other major atttractions L.A. has to offer...Lots of hi rise office buildings in most cities and any other former Motown sites are really nothing but new construction and office buildings....You may enjoy one of the Star Tours though where you can see the current or former houses of some Motown artists as well as other famous people...You can take a bus tour, or purchase the maps and drive by the locations yourself. Beware though...Some of the maps being sold are bogus...

Thanks, Stu. I've been there many times before, I just never did anything Motown related while there. Perhaps, for this trip, I'll map out some recording studio addresses and check those out. Otherwise, it's just far too much time in Amoeba Records!

**greg jones** · 10-31-2016, 07:32 PM

I transfer public trans at Hollywood & Vine several times a week and see the Capitol Tower. There isn't any Motown logo on the top of the building. Haven't walked by in a couple of years. Hopefully they've added the Motown logo on street level. Otherwise the only other spot would be the floor in the tower that Motown occupies. Am not sure what other imprints occupy the Capitol Tower.

Though that is for current Motown artists only. Motown catalog is still run out of the Manhattan office of UMe and for LA, catalog is out of one of the Santa Monica offices.

Since we talking about the previous Motown offices. For most of the LA years they at the 6255 Sunset Tower between Vine and Argyle. Though i believe for the 1st year or so in LA they were one of the other Tower. I'm thinking it was the 6464 Sunset Blvd Tower, but am not sure. Does anyone knew which tower they were in originally before 6255 ?