Motown on the Road to a Comeback

When Motown Records was sold a year ago to MCA Records and the investment group Boston Ventures, the legendary black music company was struggling. Many of its mainstays had left for other record companies, and Motown had had little success in developing new acts to take their place.

What difference has a year made? A lot, according to leaders of the local black radio community. The company is still nowhere near where it was in its heyday in the ‘60s and ‘70s, they say, but has laid a solid foundation for the future.

“A couple of years ago there was no hope and it was really sad,” said Cliff Winston, program director of KJLH-FM, Los Angeles’ top-rated station with a black music format. “A Motown record would come in and you’d want to play it; you’d want to support black business, but radio is a business too and you have to play the hits.”

And now? “It has a lot more credibility,” Winston said. “It’s like a new company.”

Jack Patterson, program director of KDAY-AM, the No. 2 black music station in the market, added: “I think they’ve made a lot of progress. I don’t think they’ve quite turned the corner, but I think they’ve made quantum leaps. The whole attitude at the company is very positive. There’s a a definite direction.”

In the year since the sale, Motown has landed three No. 1 hits on Billboard magazine’s black singles chart--more than it had in the previous two years combined.

The most encouraging sign from Motown’s vantage point: All three hits were recorded by new artists. Two were by the Boys, a teen quartet from Compton that shows signs of the broad appeal of the Jackson 5; the other is by Today, a quartet from New York.

But Motown has also had some big disappointments, notably the lackluster showing of Diana Ross’ first album since returning to the company following an up-and-down six-year stint on RCA Records. The album, “Workin’ Overtime,” stalled at No. 116 on the pop album chart--Ross’ worst showing in more than 20 years.

And few of the R&B; hits have crossed over to the broader pop market. The label has landed just one Top 40 pop hit in the past year, the Boys’ “Dial My Heart.”

Motown’s president and CEO Jheryl Busby said that the company made a conscious decision to restore its credibility at its base--with programmers of black-formatted stations and with black audiences--before pursuing the pop market.

“The one thing we didn’t want to get caught short of in our initial year was developing a solid profile with black radio,” Busby said. “We feel the pop success will come.”

Busby, who was previously president of MCA’s black music division, added that Motown is planning to hire its own pop promotion staff. The original plan called for Motown to promote its records at black radio stations and then to step back and let MCA attempt to cross them over to pop stations.

“By design it looked great, but it was part of the plan that didn’t work,” said Busby. “One of the things we learned is that there is a need to develop your own pop staff.”

Busby said that Motown hasn’t given up on Ross’ album--the first of a seven-album deal. “We haven’t even started,” he said.

“Diana and the company made a conscious decision to go after a youthful, black marketplace with the lead single and video,” he said. “The follow-up singles will have more appeal for other segments of the market. It’s a step-by-step process in re-establishing an identity.”

The company’s roster now consists of 46 acts, just 14 of which were inherited from the presale Motown. The new signings include two veterans: Ray Charles and the Pointer Sisters.

Busby said that he is pleased with the company’s progress in the past year, but noted that some things have taken longer than he thought they would. “We had to hire a staff, sign artists and develop systems and operating procedures. I underestimated how long that process would take. We really haven’t gotten a lot of our signings into the marketplace yet. They’ll be a big part of our third and fourth quarters.”

The radio programmers said that in evaluating Motown’s progress, it’s important to remember how poorly it had fared in the last few years before the sale.

“You have to understand how bad it had gotten to judge how far they’ve come back,” said KJLH’s Winston. “Toward the end there before the changeover, it was pretty bleak. The product was very spotty. Now it’s very strong.”

Added KDAY’s Patterson: “Before, a lot of their acts were weak and the music was pretty weak. They were way behind--and they were falling behind more and more. Motown represents the dreams and aspirations of a big chunk of black America. They rewrote musical history, and to see that position erode before your eyes was kind of sad, like Muhammad Ali in the last couple of years.”