Who owns Motown?
Motown is owned by Universal Music (the Netherlands, AEX: UMG).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Universal Music Group Annual report 2025, Universal Music Group N.V, 26 March 2026. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Universal Music Group N.V. reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands, Hilversum
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Detroit, Michigan
- Founded
- 1959
- Category
- Media & entertainment › Music › Record labels
- Parent ticker
- AEX: UMG
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Motown
Motown was founded in Detroit in 1959 with an $800 loan and became the most successful Black-owned business in America, recording Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Jackson 5 from a house it called Hitsville U.S.A. Its founder Berry Gordy sold the label in 1988, and the Detroit house where it recorded is now a museum visited by hundreds of thousands of people a year.
Ownership timeline of Motown
- Current owner Universal Music [1] reported
Where Motown sits in Universal Music
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Universal Music ownership tree →
See the full Universal Music brand portfolio (5) →
Other brands owned by Universal Music
Universal Music controls 5 brands on Brandtree, 5 of them in media & entertainment.
Also in media & entertainment
- Capitol Records (1942)
- Def Jam Recordings (1984)
- Interscope Records (1990)
- Republic Records (1995)
Other brands in record labels, and who owns them
Universal Music has more brands in record labels on Brandtree than any other owner: 5 of 18.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Chrysalis Records | Reservoir | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Atlantic Records | Warner Music | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Columbia Records | Sony | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| BMG | Bertelsmann | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| VAP | Nippon TV Holdings | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| New State Music | Reservoir | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Reservoir Recordings | Reservoir | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Tommy Boy Music | Reservoir | 🇺🇸 United States |
About the owner: Universal Music
Universal Music is a publicly listed company headquartered in Hilversum, Netherlands, founded in 1934. Brandtree records 5 brands under its control, and it is listed as AEX: UMG.
Universal Music is the largest recorded music company in the world, holding roughly a third of the global market. Vivendi spun it off onto the Amsterdam exchange in 2021, and its catalogue is the single largest asset in the streaming economy.
Universal Music: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇺🇸 Motown and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,550 brands that began in the United States. 479 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Motown among them.
- 20th Century Studios — Disney 🇺🇸
- AMC — AMC Networks 🇺🇸
- AMC Theatres — AMC Theatres 🇺🇸
- AMF — Lucky Strike Entertainment 🇺🇸
- Adventure Island — United Parks 🇺🇸
- Antenna TV — Nexstar 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Motown?
The parent company of Motown is Universal Music, a publicly listed company headquartered in the Netherlands.
Is Motown American or Dutch?
Motown originated in the United States in 1959, but it is owned today by Universal Music, which is headquartered in the Netherlands. So Motown is an American-origin brand under Dutch ownership.
Is Motown still owned by Universal Music?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Motown is still owned by Universal Music. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Universal Music Group Annual report 2025 — Universal Music Group N.V., Annual report, published 26 March 2026; retrieved 28 September 2026.
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