Universal Motown Records was a record label that operated as a division of Universal Motown Republic Group. It was the contemporary incarnation of the legendary Motown Records

Motown Records

Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...

 label, and the "urban" half of UMRG, although there was some rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 artists on the label (along with its sub-labels) as well.

Changes were made at Universal Motown Republic Group, and Motown Records was separated from Universal Motown Records (causing it to shut down and transfer it's artists to either Motown Records or Universal Republic Records) and the umbrella label and merged into the The Island Def Jam Music Group

The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group

The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group, formerly The Island Def Jam Music Group, is an umbrella label formed in 1999 when Universal Music Group merged two of its daughter companies, Island Records and Def Jam Recordings, to create a label group. In 2011, Motown Records was split from the Universal...

 (now named The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group), making Universal Republic Records a stand alone label and shutting down Universal Motown Republic Group.

The official website of Universal Motown Records has yet to shut down and transfer it's artists to the Motown Records official website.

Background

In 2005 Motown Records was merged with the urban artists on Universal Records

Universal Records

Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...

 to create Universal Motown Records, headed by former CEO of Elektra Records

Elektra Records

Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....

 Sylvia Rhone

Sylvia Rhone

Sylvia Rhone is an American music industry executive who served as president of Universal Motown Records until 2011.She has overseen a roster of artists in the Universal Motown lineup including Lil Wayne and the Cash Money artists Nicki Minaj, Drake, Kid Cudi, Nelly, Melanie Fiona, Akon, Erykah...

, and placed under the newly created umbrella division of Universal Motown Republic Group. Motown Records began celebrating its fiftieth anniversary (January 12, 2009) in late 2008, including the release of a The Complete No. 1's boxset containing Motown #1 hits from Billboard's pop, R&B, and disco charts, reissues of classic-era Motown albums on CD, and other planned events, which were released in collaboration with Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...

's catalog division.