I'll Be There: Motown's Impact on Music Edmund Ball
JOMC 50-01, Aikat
June 14, 2001
I'll Be There: Motown's Impact on Music
Motown is a recording studio located in Detroit. It remains home to some of the most beloved and cherished music in the United States and throughout the world. Acts such as the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5, and Diana Ross, to name a few, have sung about love and life in the Motown Studios which are decorated with platinum records.
Personally, I am a huge fan of all genres of music
but there is something about the Motown sound of which I could never tire. Although
I am only an owner of limited amount of Motown records, I am very interested
in finding out more about this incredible record company.
First and foremost, it is essential for any budding
Motown fan to understand how it got started. How did a business of all African-American
artists ever succeed in a white-dominated and racist society?
Secondly, how did Motown's music affect society both past and present? Their
music's effect was blind to who it touched: black and white, male and female,
young and old. Did Motown's owners intend for this to happen, how did they achieve
their aims?
Lastly, what and how is Motown doing now? Currently,
music fans do not hear much from this record company. Is that because other
record companies have tapped into the African-American talent pool or is Motown
not the company it once was?
Hopefully, this topic will appeal to all music lovers
especially to those who are just beginning to appreciate all forms of music.
Songs are how people remember events in their lives that were important to them.
Whether it was their first kiss or a time in their life when everything and
everyone had turned against them, there is always a song that helps us remember
that important time.
UNC Library catalog:
motown AND music
Academic Universe Lexis-Nexis:
Berry Gordy OR motown
Search engine on Web <http://www.yahoo.com
motown and history
Sources:
Gerald Lyn Early, One Nation under a Groove: Motown and American Culture (Hopewell,
N.J.: Ecco Press, 1995). Call number: Davis - ML3477 .E2
Nelson George, Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound (New York: St Martin's Press, 1986). Call number: Music Library (Hill Hall) - Ml3537 .G46
1992. Hitsville USA [Sound recording]. Cary E. Mansfield and Patti Drosins.
Call number: Music A/V Collection - CD-7291.
LEXIS-NEXIS Sources:
Ann Brown. (1997, October). Soul for Sale: Black Enterprise [Magazine], p. 22,
560 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2001, May 27].
Warren Brown. (1999, November 7). Short Modern History of Detroit: The Fall
and Rise of an American Empire: The Washington Post [Newspaper], p. W17, 1589
words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2001, May 27].
Lamont Dozier. (1999, February). Motown Maestro: Studio Sound [Magazine], p.
59, 3038 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2001, May 27].
Unnamed. (1998, September 12). Mid Goes Motown Mad: Music Week [Magazine], p.
36, 703 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2001, May 27].
Unnamed. (1998, November 2). Lady Sings the Blues: Newsweek [Magazine],
p. 48, 983 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2001, May 27].
David Welch, Joann Muller, and Rich Miller. (2001, May 14). The Road Looks Rougher for Motown - and the Economy: Business Week [Magazine], p. 48, 696 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2001, May 27].
Web Sources:
Title of Web Page: Motown Now: The Legacy Continues/Classic Motown: The Sound
of Young America
Web address: www.motown.com
Brief description: This website gives both a past and present look at Motown
Record Company. There are different links to the many artists that have been
and are on this label. There are audio links and interviews as well as a movable
timeline in the Classic Motown link.
Source of website: Motown Record Co.
Title of Web Page: Motown at 40
Web address: www.motownat40.com
Brief description: This website gives a brief history of Motown from a media
perspective. There are links to the classic artists and a photo gallery of the
"old days." There is also a story of how the studio all got started
and current stories about Motown that are being written now.
Source of website: Detroit Free Press
Title of Web Page: Rob's Motown Midi's
Web address: members.tripod.com/~Trebor_4
Brief Description: This website is for Motown fans only. Although the information
is non-existant, there are some great pictures of artists and song links to
listen to. Overall, just a website for non-informational purposes.
Source of website: Robert Holloway
Title of Web Page: Berry Gordy's Motown Records
Web address: www.history-of-rock.com/motown_records.htm
Brief description: This website provides great information about the owner of
Motown Records, Mr. Berry Gordy. It begins early in Gordy's career and proceeds
right up to his induction into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. This site
gives a better perspective about the genius of the passionate music lover.
Source of website: The History of Rock and Roll
Title of Web Page: The Motown Story and Album Discography
Web address: www.bsnpubs.com/motownstory.html
Brief description: This site not only gives some great information about Motown
but also gives a great historical account about the music that this record company
produced. It informs visitors about the important roles of African-Americans
in American music with influences in jazz, the blues, and rock-n-roll.
Source of website: Both Sides Now Publications
Internet Mini-Essay:
Cornerstone for Equilibrium? (Topic Area: Net Business and Economics)
Could it be? Economists are now saying that the Internet
is becoming an integral part of the world's economy. According to PC Week's
Laura Smith, the Internet will account for 1.3% of the U.S. economy or $45.8
billion. Companies are now finding the Web to be a good investment. This new
medium attracts all sorts of consumers who are looking for easy ways to buy.
Smith reports, "…companies that sell to the top-income quartile of
the population should consider an Internet presence a must, as should companies
that sell information-rich products or that buy or sell to the largest U.S.
companies. Businesses like banks, newspapers, and auction companies would find
profits through the Internet because they serve consumers who own computers
and want their news without having to leave the comfort of their homes.
In
Management Today's Jo Johnson's article, even small businesses are able
to compete better with larger companies via the Internet. However, their profits
are those of Internet based. Johnson reports that Amazon.com whose estimated
worth is in the billions shows no gains at the end of the day. However, these
new companies are beating brand names like Barnes and Noble because of their
availability and accessibility on the Web.Essentially, the Web is a profit-based
medium with no visible profits. So what now? Only time will tell with the success
of Internet companies. The threat of new rules and regulations may actually
help companies finally see some of that money they have been promised. However,
if this scenario should ever exist, larger companies should beware of the popularity
of these smaller businesses. When the opportunity for all entrepreneurs to sell
a product without fear of monopolization exists, small companies will thrive
just as the larger-based ones have. Hopefully, in the near future, the Internet
will make more positive contributions to society, such as allowing small businesses
to thrive, and its full potential will have been met.
Notes:
Jo Johnson, "Bubble.com or Valuing an Internet Company," Management
Today, August 1999, p. 60 [Assessed 27 May 2001].
Laura B. Smith, "Frontier Economics," PC Week, 11 December
1995, p. E1 [Assessed 27 May 2001].
Web Sites:
Title of Web page: Survey: Net retailers still struggle for profits
Web Address: www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/05/04/online.retail.idg/index.html
Brief Description: Despite business' lack of profits, some Internet companies
continue to boom.
Source of Web site: CNN
Title of Web page: In E-Commerce We Trust
Web Address:
www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,26711,00.html
Brief Description: America, as a nation, is raking in the money through profit-oriented
web sites such as Amazon.com
Source of Web site: Standard Media International
Title of Web page: The Future of Success
Web Address:ecommerce.internet.com/solutions/ebusiness/article/0,,7651_565451,00.html
Brief Description: Gutzman gives a brief history of Internet businesses and
their successes and failures.
Source of Web page: INT Media Group, Inc.
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Last Updated: 13 June 2001