Originally Posted By: chulaivet1966
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Hmmm....interesting story reference for a song writing bottom feeder like me.

Granted, other than being aware it's a cut throat industry I know little to nothing of how the industry works at that level.
It sure sounds to me like an over-the-top sense of self-perceived entitlement by Motown.
Implementing devious ways to take more from those that actually did all the creative effort/work.

Motown actually thinks that would be an attractive offer?
I'd be embarrassed to offer that deal to an artist that I thought had a song that would have some mass appeal and both could make some buckaroos.

Oh well...what do I know in this context.

Back to it....


Motown knew it was a bad deal, but it's motivation was to make as much profit as it can.

Motown (and others) knows there are some artists who want to be famous so badly that they would sign on the dotted line. Motown's second choice did. They were called the Sunliners, but of course Motown wanted to own their name too, so they could fire and hire at will and put 3 or 4 groups with the same name on the road. They changed it to Motown's Copyright, "Rare Earth."

4 acts on the road? Common practice back then. At one time there were 4 Mircales, 4 Temptaions, 4 Platters, and so on. Smokey Robinson joked that if there was ever a Miracles reunion, including the touring acts, they would have to rent a football stadium (it was an exaggeration of course).

The people who didn't make a dime from the major labels outnumber the ones who made money by 99%

The majors monopolized the market so no matter where you went, the deal was pretty much the same for first time acts.

The exception to the rule were people with great connections already, like relatives to the execs.

And if you underestimate artists willing to work for free to be heard, look at all the Open Mic nights across the country where musicians work for free while the venue rakes in the profits. Same thing, smaller scale.

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