Originally Posted by
RanRan79
To piggyback off of the previous post, that Motown Sound we commonly think of was what set the label apart from all others, as far as the music went. When you heard a Motown record you usually knew instantly that it was a Motown record, even if the label was a subsidiary. As the 70s arrived, and certainly as that decade progressed, there was no longer an identifiable Motown Sound. The Philly Sound and others would become the distinguishing sounds of the decade and Motown would be relegated to a "no special sound" label. Which of course is not to diminish the popularity and success of Marvin, Stevie, Diana, the J5, the Miracles, and a handful of others who still managed to release popular music. Motown just never captured another homogenized sound that threaded their artists together. Honestly, I don't have a problem with this. Motown came and conquered like no other record label before or since, so IMO they didn't really need to step their game up in finding another sound to compete with the "new" guys.
What messed Motown up was shutting down Detroit music operations and moving it to California. I would never suggest that Gordy not pursue his dream of moving into the movie industry, so why not just open a film and broader entertainment division in LA and leave the music in Detroit? Also it seems like he focused on his new dream and wasn't heavily involved in the music side of things. While Gordy certainly had some clunker ideas over the years, Motown's golden age was his baby. With him no longer hovering over the music, the discography of the legendary acts sometimes suffered, and the new acts who were brought on it seems barely got a chance to make their mark. No more artist development. No more sticking with an act for a time to see what works and what doesn't. I reckon in that sense, Motown moved out to LA and decided to blend in with everyone else rather than maintain a specialty.
Despite this, throughout the 80s and 90s Motown was still the label for some of the biggest acts in the world and it is unfortunate that it's legacy is often reduced to only the golden age and the accomplishments of the three biggest acts on the label throughout the 70s. Debarge, Lionel Richie, Boyz II Men, among others, were killing it at various times.
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