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Post by Emerald City on Feb 12, 2006 16:42:44 GMT -5
:read:
Motown Exiting City A Little At A Time
Motown exiting city a little at a time June 9, 1972
BY CHUCK THURSTON Free Press Staff Writer
Half of Motown Records, Detroit's rock musical pride and joy, has already left town and if the present trend continues, there won't be more than a handful of people left tending the local store by the end of the summer -- if there are any at all.
The announcement Thursday that Barney Ales, vice-president and general manager of the rock-platter titan, has retired added weight to the rumors that a serious organizational shake-up is in the works.
Ales had once said that he had no intention of moving to California where Berry Gordy Jr., founder and president of the corporation, has been based for several years.
Bit by bit in recent years, Motown has been moving to the coast while denying reports that it was moving. The superstars, with the exception of the Surpemes, have all relocated, leaving the lesser stars, tape library, publishing facilities, one personnel office and part of the creative division, finance section and shipping department in Detroit.
At its peak, Motown employed 300 persons in Detroit. By July 15, there will be fewer than 100 employees left here, according to a Motown official who wished to remain unidentified.
Ales, according to a Motown spokesman, retired "to devote full time to his investment portfolio."
Still in his Motown office, Ales said Thursday that his separation is amicable and that Gordy has asked him to stay on in Detroit and commute to the coast as he has been doing for the last year. But with the shrinking of Motown's local operation, this would mean more time away from home.
"My roots are here and my friends are in and around Detroit," Ales said. "My kids are in Little League and I have to spend more time with them."
Within the last two weeks, five persons in promotion and sales positions, including former national promotion director Al Valenti, have been laid off in Detroit.
The entire sales department is moving out in a diversification program to offices in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Chicago an Philadelphia.
John Britton, public relations manager, has already moved to Los Angeles.
Fuller Gordy, Berry's brother, head of administrative services, and one of Berry's sisters, Esther Edwards, remain in Detroit.
The exodus of the divisions and personnel in the current movement is expected to be completed by July 15.
No one at Motown knows, or is willing to guess, how much of Motown, if any, will still be here after October.
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Kay
Star
*~*Floever A Star*~*
Posts: 1,326
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Post by Kay on Feb 13, 2006 18:00:29 GMT -5
By reading that I kinda got a sad feeling about the effect the company move had on Detroit.
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Post by fantagurl on Feb 13, 2006 21:25:34 GMT -5
By reading that I kinda got a sad feeling about the effect the company move had on Detroit. Same here (((Kay))). Look what the move has done to the building that kept all of the important documents,files,sessions,and so on. Not only the artists that were left behind.
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Post by timmy84 on Feb 14, 2006 12:36:10 GMT -5
And still Berry Gordy regarded as the man who made an empire, get the f*ck outta here.
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Post by Diamond Girl on Feb 14, 2006 17:05:43 GMT -5
And still Berry Gordy regarded as the man who made an empire, get the f*ck outta here. Man, how do you really feel Tim :lol:
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Post by fantagurl on Feb 15, 2006 17:20:20 GMT -5
And still Berry Gordy regarded as the man who made an empire, get the f*ck outta here. Whooooaaa!!!! :lol:
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Post by timmy84 on Feb 15, 2006 23:45:02 GMT -5
Yeah, I said it. Besides, Motown made itself with all the guys that came in the buildings to do the magic. Berry Gordy tried to destroy it whether he knew it or not, lol. That's all I'm saying.
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Post by fantagurl on Feb 16, 2006 15:05:38 GMT -5
Yeah, I said it. Besides, Motown made itself with all the guys that came in the buildings to do the magic. Berry Gordy tried to destroy it whether he knew it or not, lol. That's all I'm saying. That`s true. I wonder how Berry feels about the building being demolished and him selling his so called empire(Motown label) I wonder if he has any regrets? :shucks:
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Post by timmy84 on Feb 16, 2006 17:04:41 GMT -5
Now THAT we will never know...unless Anna or Hazel or Esther or someone like that opens up about it. I don't see nothing come out of Berry's mouth. :frustration:
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Post by HitsvilleSoul on Feb 17, 2006 19:40:45 GMT -5
I doubt Gordy feels guilty about any of those particular decisions. He has had years to make amends and pay out what he owes to people but with the majority he hasn't.....Esther still has some dealings with the Hitsville Museum so obviously she is still very much close to home...Can't understand those folks
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Post by timmy84 on Feb 17, 2006 21:08:12 GMT -5
The Gordy family IS weird. :befuddled:
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Post by motowner on Feb 24, 2006 15:09:28 GMT -5
basically motown was dying after everybody left for L.A. If berry had stayed in detroit, motown would have made a serious impact in the 70s
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Post by fantagurl on Feb 28, 2006 21:50:10 GMT -5
basically motown was dying after everybody left for L.A. If berry had stayed in detroit, motown would have made a serious impact in the 70s I sometimes wonder if Berry hadn`t made that move to L.A.,would he still owned Motown and would it have a touch of that magic today?
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Post by Emerald City on Mar 1, 2006 19:19:38 GMT -5
basically motown was dying after everybody left for L.A. If berry had stayed in detroit, motown would have made a serious impact in the 70s I sometimes wonder if Berry hadn`t made that move to L.A.,would he still owned Motown and would it have a touch of that magic today? IMO if he had a different character and treated the artists right then the magic wouldn't have gone anywhere. If he moved the entire company with the artists to L.A and continued giving them some decent support then 70's Motown could have been much bigger than it was. But even if he decided to stay in Detroit and kept or sold the company the magic would still be there long as the artists were treated right, had some decent support and musically continued to move on with the times. I have said it before and I will say it again...Stevie is the best example of how far each Classic act could have come :word:
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Post by timmy84 on Mar 1, 2006 19:30:09 GMT -5
YES! Stevie Wonder's the real example of how far he has come since joining Motown during its beginning years.
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