tamla records
TAMLA Records, the Nashville-based reprise of the storied label founded by Motown Records icon Berry Gordy, is announcing its official re-launch. Having set the goal “to redefine the Christian music landscape,” TAMLA operates under the Motown Gospel/Capitol Christian Music Group banner and is helmed by Walter Thomas, senior vp for Motown Gospel & TAMLA.
“Our mission is to champion, uplift and inspire new generation cutting-edge artists,” Thomas tells Billboard, “by providing a platform to connect their music with fans around the world through innovation and culture. TAMLA is the new home of positive music.”
It was initially announced in 2023 that TAMLA — Gordy’s late ‘50s precursor to Motown — would be revamped as a “mainstream imprint specializing in positive R&B and hip-hop music.” The first partner signed then to the reimagined TAMLA was Thomas “Tillie” Mann and his label Encouragement Music. However, the early 2024 reorganization of Universal Music Group delayed TAMLA’s formal relaunch.
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Also working alongside Thomas at TAMLA will be Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. The Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer has partnered with TAMLA to sign and develop emerging talent under his imprint, EVOLVE Music Group.
Rodney Jerkins / Credit: Andre St. Louis
“The history of TAMLA is very important,” Jerkins tells Billboard. “People need to know what TAMLA meant then but more importantly what it will mean now. To have the chance to help continue the legacy of what the great Berry Gordy started is what really prompted my decision to partner with TAMLA. We have a great opportunity to find new artists that can help continue its rich legacy.”
“I want to help bring to the world some cutting-edge Christian and gospel music,” added Jerkins. “I’ve always felt it should co-exist with mainstream. So my goal with Walter and Brad [O’Donnell, president of Capitol Christian Music Group] is to discover talent that we feel could do just that.”
In addition to the aforementioned Encouragement Music and its artist EmanuelDaProphet, TAMLA’s current roster now includes Childlike CiCi, Jordan L’Oreal and Lee Vasi. The label has also entered into a partnership with AMG Music Group (Anderson Music Group). Thomas’ label team at TAMLA includes senior director of A&R Alex Dollar, senior director of marketing Justin Tomlinson, director of A&R Justin Pearson and project manager, marketing Brianna Dowd.
“Right now, more than ever, I think we all need hope,” says Thomas. “And this music gives a lot of hope and uplift. It isn’t front tier in a lot of people’s minds because it’s religion-based. But if they can get past religion-based and get caught up in the whole messages that this music gives, people will connect more.”
“The more opportunities and platforms that these artists get on, I think people will want to hear it,” continues Thomas. “They just don’t know that it’s out. The main goal right now is to position these artists to be front and center so they can work in general market settings as well.”
Tamla Records, the precursor to the legendary Motown Records, is being relaunched by Capitol Music Group (CMG) and Capitol Christian Music Group (Capitol CMG) as a mainstream imprint specializing in positive R&B and hip-hop music. Supervising the imprint’s roster and staff will be Nashville-based EJ Gaines, current senior vp of marketing for Capitol CMG.
The first partner to sign with the new Tamla is Thomas “Tillie” Mann and his label Encouragement Music. Mann is Quality Control’s longtime mix engineer and collaborator who has worked with Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, Drake and Migos.
CMG chair/CEO Michelle Jubelirer said in a statement, “The relaunch of Tamla broadens our company’s commitment to hip-hop and R&B music, as well as to the artists, label partners and creative executives who have joined Capitol Music Group over the past 18 months. The artists EJ and his team will bring to Tamla will complement the incredible talent across our label group and will have everyone’s support throughout the wider company.”
It was 65 years ago that Berry Gordy Jr. founded Tamla Records in June 1958. The label’s first release was the 1959 single “Come to Me” by gospel singer-turned-R&B artist Marv Johnson. Later renamed Motown, Tamla was also the home of icons Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.
“We want to honor the iconic history of the label founded by Mr. Gordy,” commented Capitol CMG co-presidents Brad O’Donnell and Hudson Plachy in the Capitol press release. “And Tillie Mann and Encouragement Music are exactly the kind of partners that we want to work with. EJ is a seasoned executive who we know will guide Tamla along with the support of our overall Capitol CMG staff.”
“Tamla has always been home to incredible music that has shifted culture,” added Gaines. “I’m excited to continue its rich legacy with groundbreaking, mainstream music that is faith-formed and culture-forward. I’m grateful to Hudson, Brad and Michelle for trusting me with this honor.”
In an interview with Billboard, Gaines shared additional insights about the new Tamla and fostering what he calls “the positive sound of the generation.”
Why is now the right time to relaunch this legacy label?
As a Black man in America, a former Wall Street attorney and artist manager, I’ve seen virtually every aspect of the music industry. And it’s very incumbent upon me to use my experience and influence in a way that is going to help the music industry as a whole — but with a focus on helping underserved Black communities. I have two sons, six and three years old, and they need to know that their dad contributed to helping make this world better for them in every way. Music is such a powerful tool and that’s significant to me, especially with this being Black Music Month.
I also love the through-line of how Tamla started with Marv Johnson, a gospel singer who released his first song on the label before doing R&B. That’s something I’ve been trying to communicate ever since I got to Capitol CMG: that gospel music is part of Black music. It’s not separate faith music; it’s not exclusive. It’s part of what we do culturally. And Tamla was just sitting there, acknowledged for its value but not really being used to continue the legacy. So that’s where we’re picking up.
How do you describe the new Tamla?
We have great, tried and true artists on Capitol CMG like Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Ricky Dillard and Brian Courtney Wilson. But what I’ve also started to identify is a bunch of creatives — songwriters, producers and artists — that aren’t doing gospel or faith music that way. They want their music to be competitive with what they listen to outside of the [gospel] genre.
But increasingly, mainstream music has not been a place where Christian creatives can find themselves very easily. That’s because the lines have been drawn so distinctly that in order to go mainstream, these creators feel like they have to compromise their values, messaging and lyricism. They’re finding themselves without a space to live in. They want to find their own positive, non-explicit but not corny lane. Over the past seven years, that lane has become more open and ready. You see playlists on all the DSPs that lean toward very progressive R&B and hip-hop; what they used to call urban gospel. And now with TikTok and Instagram, there are opportunities for these artists to engage their fans without gatekeepers blocking them. But we need to be able to serve these creatives; to make the connection between them and the audiences that are sitting there waiting.
I call it “The positive sound of the generation.” It’s of right now; not dated and very relevant. It’s something that would be acknowledged by the mainstream as legitimate lyrically, sonically and production-wise. It’s not watered down. So what we’re doing is trying to identify significant mainstream partners making music who just happen to be Christians. But they don’t want to be referred to as gospel or inspirational. They’re just artists making music; young, hungry, aggressive and very open-minded as to what music can be. And they want desperately to have a voice to engage with their audiences. And Tamla will be the place where their creativity will be fueled to soar.
Who is the label’s target demo?
It’s the 13-25 age range, but people older will also enjoy the music. But I’m really going back to the young market, the market that’s dictating music consumption.
What’s been the reaction of artists that you’ve approached thus far?
When we tell them what we’re launching, they say it’s the supplemental support that they’ve been looking for … that they thought they would have to be independent. But we’re not going to work to cross these artists over. We’re going to place them there first [in R&B and hip-hop] and legitimize them in that space with the support of Capitol and the Universal Music Group. And programmers have said they’ve been looking for content that was positive but that didn’t compromise on the quality of the music. I’m being very intentional about legitimizing this movement so that people don’t see this as a warmed-over version of what they’ve already seen and heard before.
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