Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
Music industry legend and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. has pledged $5 million to establish the UCLA Berry Gordy Music Industry Center. Established in partnership with the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, the center is scheduled to open during the 2024/2025 academic year.
explore
Check out the latest videos, charts and news
Check out the latest videos, charts and news
“I am pleased to establish a center that will provide UCLA students with the opportunity to prepare for careers in the music industry,” Gordy said in a news release. “Music is powerful, inspiring and universal, transcending political, cultural, social and economic barriers. Music can reach people of all kinds and has been a guiding force my life. These students will be the future innovators, artists and business leaders who will lead the 21st century.”
“This center will position the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music as one of the leading music industry programs in the world,” said Eileen Strempel, the School of Music's founding dean. “It will empower us to recruit and attract the best faculty and students and conduct research at the cutting edge of our fields. Mr. Gordy's gift will position our program to be a leading force in shaping the music industry in the 21st century.”
Dedicated to expanding Gordy's tradition of education and mentoring, the center will support the development of new courses and offer a specialized curriculum in songwriting and production. To further raise awareness about careers in the music industry, the center will provide funding to develop partnerships with primary and secondary schools. It will also sponsor research to explore technology, streaming algorithms, and social justice.
“Berry Gordy is an American treasure,” said Michael Ostin, a music industry veteran who also serves on the Dean's Advisory Board. “What he did at Motown was truly remarkable, blending creativity and business acumen in a way that had never been done before. He embodies everything we hope to embody in our music industry programs. He is also known for his generosity, so it is not surprising that Berry would make such a generous and transformative gift to help educate and develop the next generation of industry leaders.”
Under Gordy's direction, Motown Records became one of the most successful and influential independent record companies in the music industry, with its legendary roster of hitmakers including Smokey Robinson, The Miracles, Diana Ross, The Supremes, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five, and many more.
“I've always found Berry to be a generous and compassionate man,” commented Robinson. “Early in my career, I benefited from Berry's tutelage. He was always a teacher at heart. What's great about this center is that we are guided by his philosophy that truly great music comes from nurturing young talent and encouraging them to think holistically about their art and their careers.”