| Universal Motown Records | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Status | Defunct |
| Distributor(s) | Universal Motown Republic Group (In the US) Universal Island Records (Outside the US) |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | New York City, New York |
Universal Motown Records was a record label that operated as a division of Universal Motown Republic Group. It was the contemporary incarnation of the legendary Motown Records label, and the "urban" half of UMRG, although there was some rock artists on the label (along with its sub-labels) as well.
Changes were made at Universal Motown Republic Group, and Motown Records was separated from Universal Motown Records (causing it to shut down and transfer it's artists to either Motown Records or Universal Republic Records) and the umbrella label and merged into the The Island Def Jam Music Group (now named The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group), making Universal Republic Records a stand alone label and shutting down Universal Motown Republic Group.[1]
The official website of Universal Motown Records has yet to shut down and transfer it's artists to the Motown Records official website.
In 2005 Motown Records was merged with the urban artists on Universal Records to create Universal Motown Records, headed by former CEO of Elektra Records Sylvia Rhone, and placed under the newly created umbrella division of Universal Motown Republic Group. Motown Records began celebrating its fiftieth anniversary (January 12, 2009) in late 2008, including the release of a The Complete No. 1's boxset containing Motown #1 hits from Billboard's pop, R&B, and disco charts, reissues of classic-era Motown albums on CD, and other planned events, which were released in collaboration with Universal Music Group's catalog division.