I've been contemplating this article which served as the Soul Sauce column for July 28th 1973 found next to the Soul Singles chart.
I'm calling it bizarre because why would Motown choose to do an article like this ? In reading Billboard from the seventies, I've seen very little in terms of interviews or focuses about the label and when one is finally published, this is the subject matter?
That is not a good headline for the company:
Motown
Cuts Down
Act Roster
by Eliott Tiegel
LOS ANGELES-
Twelve-year-old Motown is going through the re-
evaluation-trimming down of its artist roster process which big com-
panies undergo at one time or another.
The label has 51 artists, according to Suzanne DePasse, the vice president for creative operations, who oversees all a&r matters. Within the next three months the company hopes to have its preening all done.
At one time there were as many as 65 acts on Motown and its family of la-
bels. The company seeks to be realistic
about being able to fully support all its artists, Suzanne notes. But there is
no set number of commitments which Motown hopes to arrive at.
The company remains unique in terms of having 18 staff producers in
Los Angeles, with others in Detroit and Muscle Shoals.
And it is unique in terms of having 66 percent of its singles and 60
percent of its LP's hit the national best selling charts.
And it is unique in terms of having singers spin out of groups and
watching both the individuals become solo stars while the groups re-
main active and successful in their own right.
Taking things first:
these are the exclusive producers on the Coast-
Hal Davis [[one of the original members of the team which opened the
local office over 10 years ago); Deke
Richards, Freddie Perren, Fonce Mizell, Jerry Marcellino, Mel Lar-
son, Willie Hutch, Norman Whitfield, Dino Fekaris, Nick Zes-
ses, Frank Wilson, Leonard Laston,
Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio, Mark Davis, Mike Masser, Joe Porter,
Smokey Robinson, Mark Davis, and Gloria Jones.
In Detroit, Joe Periano, Tom Baird, [[who lives in Canada), Larry
Brown and George Gordy handle production for a number of acts
while in Muscle Shoals, independent producers Clayton Ivy and Terry
Woodford handle local acts.
Incidentally, Norman Whitfield and Bob Crewe are really exclusive
independent producers but their main thrusts are for the Motown
family.
On the matter of singers splitting from groups, consider this: Diana
Ross split from the Supremes, Smokey Robinson split from the
Miracles; David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks split from the Tempta-
tions; and while Michael and Jermaine haven't split from the Jackson
Five, they are still recording as solo acts in addition to working with the
family.
Hit product is the key allowing the acts to continue from a position of
strength, emphasizes Tommy Noonan, executive assistant to Ewart
Abner, Motown's president. The label's direction is to continue broad-
ening its musical base, Noonan says, while mentioning the pop cross over
effect of such top names as Diana, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and
the Temptations.
But there has been a "subtle kind of resistance" in some quarters to ac-
cepting Motown's artistic expansion out of its soul base, admits Suzanne.
"People find it hard to accept change," she says. "But they have to
accept that we mean business and want to push into other markets.
JULY 28, 1973, BILLBOARD
I have some thoughts about this Motown press , but first I am curious as to how others here view it. .........??
[My first question would be, for this article to come about, who first contacted who?]
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