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Motown and Island Def Jam to Share Resources

The two companies will merge business operations.

Big changes are to come at Motown Records, the home of artists such as Erykah Badu and Kem. Ethiopia Habtemariam, the current senior VP of creative services at Universal Music Publishing Group will come on board at Motown to head up the legendary label. But the label will only have a staff of about a dozen, says the Hollywood Reporter, and will be sharing its resources with sister label, Island Def Jam.

 

An inside source at the label tells BET.com that some services have already started to merge. "Our business affairs and legal, our international, but as it relates to any other departments, we're still not 100% percent clear," the source says. As far as who will stay and who will go, things are still up in the air, but apparently, it hasn't affected morale. "It’s probably inevitable because that’s part of the whole corporate merging and downsizing. But in terms of the departments, we won't know until it happens."

 

Motown will share resources with Island Def Jam, Universal Republic, and other boutique labels that fall under the Universal umbrella. Says the source, "In terms of the artists, there is excitement for all of them. The sentiment is to maintain that [Motown] integrity. Maybe even revitalize it."

(Photos: Motown)

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