Did Motown greed lead to self-destruction?

[RABid]

Remember when Motown was considered the center of cool? Commercials used Motown songs. Movies used Motown soundtracks. TV shows had clips of the major characters having a great time listening to Motown music. Now it seems that no one is using Motown music in newly created media. Why? Could it be…

 

A few years ago I remember searching for episodes of Murphy Brown. While Googling “why is Murphy Brown not on DVD” I ran across an article about a conflict between Motown and film media. The article said Motown was demanding 50% of the profits for any episode with a Motown song. Now it is hard to find any specific numbers, but it is generally reported that Murphy Brown is not available for streaming or purchase because they cannot come to terms over the music rights, and most every episode features a Motown clip. We have seen music cut out of shows before. Even Andy Griffith and The Beverly Hillbillies had scenes cut because of music rights. But the music was so ingrained in Murphy Brown that they chose not to release rather than to butcher the scenes.

 

So has this scared off the Hollywood producers that used to feature Motown music in their shows and movies? Even Pitch Perfect did three musicals based on popular music and not a single reference to Motown. We now have an entire generation of school age kids that have never heard of Motown.

[Anderton]

I always felt it was better to get 10% of something that 100% of nothing.

[KuruPrionz]

I don't hold those copyrights so I can't answer your question per se. 

Murphy Brown disappearing off the face of the Earth is just a blip to me. 

Chuck Barris created and hosted the Gong Show and then decided he was embarrassed by it and refused to license it for re-runs. That was disappointinng but I got over it. When Chuck Barris passed on (RIP), I seached YouTube and lots of people had posted videos they'd made of the Gong Show back when it was on television. 
I watched 2 hours of Gong Show in honor of Chuck, now I'm over it. 

 

I was in a Motown cover band for 2 years. We played the casinos, it was no secret but apparently it was unnoticed and we got away with it. The Motown Cruisers had been gigging for over 12 years when I joined them. 

 

Hard to say where somebody will focus their energy, no?

[Notes_Norton]

Motown was always greedy.

 

Back in the late 60s or early 70s, we were the opening act for big stars in concert. Starting with the Four Seasons, Associations, etc., and eventually opening for Motown.

 

I was a kid and our manager handled all the details, we just had the fun of playing big concerts, and being treated by those we admired as a peer. Talking shop with Junior Walker was definitely cool.

 

We were the first choice to be Motown's first all-white band to be on the Motown family of labels. Wow! We thought we were going to be 'big time'. There was no racism involved, but Bob Seger was making #1 records in Detroit, and Berry was just trying to keep up with the trends.

 

Motown and management were negotiating. Motown's last offer was 2 cents per record, our manager's was 2.5 cents.

 

Out of our royalties, Motown wanted to deduct inflated recording costs, inflated distribution costs and inflated promotion costs. In addition, they wanted a 'ghost' songwriter who did nothing to get half the songwriting credits/royalties for anything we wrote ourselves and full publishing rights. And if that wasn't enough, they wanted us to change our name and give Motown the trademark, so they could hire/fire and have a 4 different touring bands with the same name touring the US.

 

At those prices/deductions, our manager figured we would have to sell a million copies of our first LP and have 3 hit singles to end up breaking even and not owing Motown money.

 

The deal was, if we don't make our nut the first time out, Motown would call it even (taking all the money) and if we wanted to record again, we'd have to pay the debt off first. That's why there are so many one-hit wonders out there.

 

Our manager said Motown was just pimping their bands.

[KuruPrionz]

Fairly recently, the story of The Adantes has come to light. 3 women who sang backup vocals on TONS of Motown hits. 

Berry Gordy Jr. would not allow them to make their own album or go on tour, he needed them in the studio. 

https://www.khou.com/article/entertainment/motowns-unsung-female-trio-finally-gets-acclaim/285-321008747

 

Most of us have probably seen Standing in The Shadows of Motown, the movie about the Funk Brothers, who were the band that played on almost all of the Motown recordings in the 60's. James Jamerson was probably the most influential electric bass guitarist of all time, both Paul McCartney and John Entwhistle (The Who) have cited him as a major influence and there are many others. 

 

BG Jr ran a tight ship, he was making money for HIM, and using whoever he could to get there. 

[Notes_Norton]

A few in Motown made out, particularly Smokey Robinson and the other major songwriters. They got their songwriter royalties, which are more lucrative than artist's royalties.

 

I was long gone by then, but IMO the downfall of Motown was when Berry moved to California and decided to make the same mark in Motion Pictures as he did with audio recordings.

 

Sometimes I think it may have been to our advantage to take that lousy deal, as we might have met the right people in the biz to take us farther as individuals, but who knows, we might have been exploited and ended up worse than before.

 

I'm living a good life. I'm not rich, I live modestly, and I'm not in debt. Perhaps the best part of never 'making it' is that at least I'm not a 'Has Been".

 

Notes ♫

[Ivan May]

Motown did have a lot of shady operators who worked for them in the Sixties. A lot of musicians who played on the Motown recordings were never properly credited for half of the records they played on. And the worst part is, if you did play with Motown in those days you only got paid half a cent. Being paid half a penny is not easy, especially when you're a desperate musician.

 

I often wonder if this is why Marvin Gaye became increasingly addicted to drugs and alcohol for a better half of the Seventies. Hell, he even made an album just so he could pay for his divorce settlement! Whoever thought of making a record just so you can pay for your divorce settlement?

[Anderton]

FWIW a lot of the master tapes were spliced together from older tapes. They reused everything. 

[Notes_Norton]

I don't think Motown was alone in pimping young talent. One-hit wonders of the 50s and later are more plentiful than established stars. As CDs arrived, they became one album wonders. This One-hit-wonder-list only scratches the surface, as I can think of quite a few others that I've covered in various bands through the years that aren't included.

 

Most of these people had plenty of talent, so it wasn't their fault that they only got one shot. The labels scoop them up, chew them up, and spit them out, and there are always many more waiting in the wings for their chance.

 

In modern times, the gatekeepers almost always make more money than the artist.

 

Mrs. Notes is a fine artist. She can make a painting, pay for the canvas, paints, mounting, and frame (all of which are expensive) and if a gallery takes it and puts it up for sale, the gallery gets 60%.

 

The first novel accepted by a publishing company from an unknown author pays very little to the author. It's pretty much like Motown for writers.

 

There are exceptions. In all these cases, if your first effort goes viral, and the gatekeeper is making money hand over fist, you can cut a deal on the second and subsequent contracts. Elvis (Parker), Beatles (Epstein), Stones (Oldham) and others negotiated contracts that paid the artist after the record companies figured that they would make more money by keeping and paying them, than to let the go to another gatekeeper.

 

Of course, if you already have an "in" in the business, or a lot of money and savvy management skills to start with, it's easier.

 

I remember talking to Tom Scott decades ago when we were gigging at the Hyatt of the Palm Beaches. He said that "I know that there is a sax player playing in a Holiday Inn somewhere like Valparaiso, Indiana that could put me in his back pocket. But I was in the right place, at the right time, I had the right connections. I showed up straight, on-time and could do the job." (Paraphrasing, I don't know the exact words but if this isn't it, it's extremely close.) Tom is the son of film and television composer Nathan Scott, who had more than 850 television credits and more than 100 film credits as a composer, orchestrator, and conductor, including the theme songs for Dragnet and Lassie. It's good to have connections, and I'm happy for Tom.

 

Of course, all that's different now. Spotify makes the dollars and throws the artist a few crumbs off the table.

 

But that's only one side of the business.

 

I've made a living most of my life by playing live to an appreciative audience. I never hit the big time, even though that carrot was dangled in front of us, but I've made a living doing what I would do for free. The only real work is schlepping the gear around. Performing is the best, learning new songs and making the backing tracks is time intensive, sometimes very challenging, and not immediately gratifying like playing a song and getting applause when done, but many hours pass by without noticing that, it's a puzzle and when it's done, I'm proud of the accomplishment. So I wouldn't call that work, either.

 

The best part is that I'm not a wage-slave to some faceless corporation putting in 40 hours a week, 8 hours a day after day, taking orders from some middle manager that knows less than me, and living for the weekends and an eventual 2-week vacation. In other words, I'm living my life on my own terms.

 

I'm enjoying my life, and isn't that the most important thing?

 

Notes ♫

[SteveCoscia]

On 7/14/2022 at 6:01 PM, Anderton said:

I always felt it was better to get 10% of something that 100% of nothing.

 

Agreed. Fair and mutually beneficial revenue-sharing results in broader distribution which yields compounding and cumulative future revenue opportunities. 

[Anderton]

1 hour ago, SteveCoscia said:

Agreed. Fair and mutually beneficial revenue-sharing results in broader distribution which yields compounding and cumulative future revenue opportunities. 

 

I've made sample libraries and such based around specific instruments. Most of the time, companies are thrilled to have me identify their products by name, which gives them more visibility in a favorable context. But not all of them. Some demand that I pay to reference a product, and maybe I have it all wrong, but I think I'm doing them a favor - not the other way around. So screw it - I end up using a generic name, like "70s Analog Synth Tribute Pack." It doesn't impact my sales, but the company misses out on a free marketing opportunity.

[Notes_Norton]

10% of something is indeed better than 100% of nothing.

 

Unfortunately, many of the one-hit or one-CD wonders didn't get even 1%.

 

We played a club in Michigan before we started opening in concert for major acts. A one-hit-wonder used to come in the bar, and the bartenders and manager told us we were not to let him sit in with the band.

 

He didn't make any money, and was no longer in the music business, instead working a factory job. He was also an alcoholic.

 

I tried talking to him, but he was too inebriated to have coherent conversation.

 

Sad indeed.

 

Notes ♫

[ToddP]

On 7/15/2022 at 4:19 PM, The Real MC said:

Stevie Wonder also made it out of Motown.  In his mid teens he realized that his Motown contract was indentured slavery so he started writing songs in his head and kept them there out of reach of Motown.  When he turned 21 he was no longer bound to that contract, left Motown, and signed with another major label on very favorable terms.

He didn't leave Motown. He signed a new more favorable contract with Motown. Every album of his was on Motown until So What the Fuss Records was formed in 2020. 

[Notes_Norton]

Berry Gordy almost dropped Stevie Wonder when he was still "Little Stevie Wonder" figuring he made all the money he could out of the child star. Producer Sylvia Moy convinced Berry to keep Stevie on, and got half the writer's royalties for many of his songs after that. I don't know if she contributed to the songs or not, she was certainly capable of doing so.

 

I believe Stevie and Marvin Gay both threatened to leave Motown over artistic differences with Berry Gordy. But I read that in a magazine, and don't have first-hand knowledge of it. I was gone from Motown before they got their way.

 

But once you prove yourself as a "cash cow" to the label, you can get a better contract when the first one expires.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

 

[Bobbo Fett]

On 7/16/2022 at 8:05 AM, Notes_Norton said:

I don't think Motown was alone in pimping young talent. One-hit wonders of the 50s and later are more plentiful than established stars. As CDs arrived, they became one album wonders. This One-hit-wonder-list only scratches the surface, as I can think of quite a few others that I've covered in various bands through the years that aren't included.

 

Most of these people had plenty of talent, so it wasn't their fault that they only got one shot. The labels scoop them up, chew them up, and spit them out, and there are always many more waiting in the wings for their chance.

 

In modern times, the gatekeepers almost always make more money than the artist.

 

Mrs. Notes is a fine artist. She can make a painting, pay for the canvas, paints, mounting, and frame (all of which are expensive) and if a gallery takes it and puts it up for sale, the gallery gets 60%.

 

The first novel accepted by a publishing company from an unknown author pays very little to the author. It's pretty much like Motown for writers.

 

There are exceptions. In all these cases, if your first effort goes viral, and the gatekeeper is making money hand over fist, you can cut a deal on the second and subsequent contracts. Elvis (Parker), Beatles (Epstein), Stones (Oldham) and others negotiated contracts that paid the artist after the record companies figured that they would make more money by keeping and paying them, than to let the go to another gatekeeper.

 

Of course, if you already have an "in" in the business, or a lot of money and savvy management skills to start with, it's easier.

 

I remember talking to Tom Scott decades ago when we were gigging at the Hyatt of the Palm Beaches. He said that "I know that there is a sax player playing in a Holiday Inn somewhere like Valparaiso, Indiana that could put me in his back pocket. But I was in the right place, at the right time, I had the right connections. I showed up straight, on-time and could do the job." (Paraphrasing, I don't know the exact words but if this isn't it, it's extremely close.) Tom is the son of film and television composer Nathan Scott, who had more than 850 television credits and more than 100 film credits as a composer, orchestrator, and conductor, including the theme songs for Dragnet and Lassie. It's good to have connections, and I'm happy for Tom.

 

Of course, all that's different now. Spotify makes the dollars and throws the artist a few crumbs off the table.

 

But that's only one side of the business.

 

I've made a living most of my life by playing live to an appreciative audience. I never hit the big time, even though that carrot was dangled in front of us, but I've made a living doing what I would do for free. The only real work is schlepping the gear around. Performing is the best, learning new songs and making the backing tracks is time intensive, sometimes very challenging, and not immediately gratifying like playing a song and getting applause when done, but many hours pass by without noticing that, it's a puzzle and when it's done, I'm proud of the accomplishment. So I wouldn't call that work, either.

 

The best part is that I'm not a wage-slave to some faceless corporation putting in 40 hours a week, 8 hours a day after day, taking orders from some middle manager that knows less than me, and living for the weekends and an eventual 2-week vacation. In other words, I'm living my life on my own terms.

 

I'm enjoying my life, and isn't that the most important thing?

 

Notes ♫

Notes, you just summed up my existence as well.....except for a 2 year stretch working a "real job" back in the 90's this is all I've done since 1975. It's not a lucrative life, but it's a good one nevertheless, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.....

[Notes_Norton]

19 hours ago, Bobbo Fett said:

Notes, you just summed up my existence as well.....except for a 2 year stretch working a "real job" back in the 90's this is all I've done since 1975. It's not a lucrative life, but it's a good one nevertheless, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.....

If I had to do it over again, I'd still be a performing musician.

 

I'm having a happy life, and when I get to the coda, I think looking back I'd say having a happy life is the most sincere mark of success.

 

Notes ♫