Motown Records is Sold - $61 Million

It was on this day in 1988 that Motown Records was sold for $61 million to an investment group that included a venture capital firm, record executive Jheryl Busby, and others. The company, which was founded by Berry Gordy in 1959, produced some of the biggest Rhythm and Blues performers of all time including the Supremes, the Temptations, the Four Tops and Marvin Gaye.

Sold it for $61 million in 1988! Makes one wonder how much Motown would have gone for if Berry Gordy had kept it all those years and then sold it in today's times - 2006. $122 million easy? $244 million? $488 million? Keep going? A cool $1 billion? All those hits? All those master recordings? All those publishing rights?

I've got to read his autobiography again to see the details of that '88 $61 million deal. What % did he retain for himself and the artists that stayed on board loyal to Motown after the sale?

What if Berry Gordy hadn't sold Motown at all and it still belonged to him 100%?

Makes me wonder. I guess there is just still a part of me that wishes he hadn't. Once again, I must doublecheck his autobiography in that chapter where he describes his reasons.