Motown New Legends Program

Motown Records has long been a cultural force, shaping music, influencing society, and creating breakthrough opportunities for Black artists since Berry Gordy founded the label in 1959. Today, Motown is home to a new generation of legends and remains committed to building strategic, sustainable solutions that uplift its artists, their communities, and the world beyond. Motown’s New Legends Program honors that legacy through a comprehensive social impact initiative designed to cultivate the next generation of musical talent and leaders, and create lasting, measurable change. 

This summer, the program will spotlight emerging voices through paid internships at Motown’s Los Angeles headquarters. Four interns will be placed across key departments - A&R, Marketing, Digital Marketing, and Creative gaining hands-on label experience and contributing to campaigns for the artists they love. 

We are looking for four (4) interns to work across the following departments:  

• A&R

• Creative

• Digital Marketing

• Marketing

Program Eligibility Criteria

• Currently enrolled at a Historically Black College or University
• Graduating between Spring 2026 and Fall 2028
• Demonstrated interest in A&R, Digital, Creative, and/or Marketing
• Have access to housing and transportation within the designated city
• Legally authorized to work in the U.S. and will not require sponsorship for employment visa status now or in the future (e.g. H1-B, CPT, OPT, etc.)
• Commit to 20 hours per week

A&R (Onsite: CA)

A&R interns help identify, develop, and support Motown’s next generation of artists. They listen deeply, research culture, and translate creative instinct into clear recommendations, spotting what’s special, what’s next, and what an artist needs to grow. This work is about taste + context + trust-building, not just “finding songs.”

Purpose

This exercise evaluates your ability to hear potential, understand an artist’s creative world, and make practical, artist-first recommendations that could guide development and long-term strategy.

Your Assignment

Create an A&R development brief that includes 3 components:

Creative Diagnosis (What You Hear)

• What is the artist’s core identity right now (sound, perspective, emotion, culture)?
• What is working best, and what feels missing, unclear, or underdeveloped?

Next Music Moves (How You’d Evolve It)
Provide 2–3 specific recommendations that move the music forward (examples: feature targets, producer/songwriter lanes, sonic references, thematic directions, tempos, or experimentation zones).

For each recommendation, explain:

• Why it fits the artist
• What it unlocks creatively

A&R Action Plan (How You’d Support the Rollout + Development)
Outline a short plan (4–6 bullets) of what you’d do in the next few weeks to support growth.

Examples:

• Session strategy
• Collaborators to approach
• How you’d prep the artist
• How you’d choose singles
• What fan feedback signals you’d track

For each section, include:

• What it is
• Why it fits the artist
• How it supports momentum

What We’re Evaluating

• Depth of listening and specificity
• Cultural awareness and taste-level clarity
• Artist-first thinking
• Clear, actionable recommendations a team could execute

How to Submit

Upload your written A&R development brief directly through the application form as a PDF link, PowerPoint, video submission or link to a shareable document.

Digital Marketing (Onsite: CA)

Digital marketers at Motown translate an artist’s music, identity, and cultural moment into digital ideas that feel authentic to fans. This work is rooted in storytelling, culture, and intention, not trend-chasing.

Purpose

This exercise helps us understand how you listen, think creatively, and translate music into digital moments that build real momentum.

Your Assignment

Choose one Motown artist and one specific song or project from them, then create 2–3 digital-first ideas that:

• Fit the artist (voice, visuals, culture)
• Pull from the music (lyrics, themes, moments)
• Invite fan participation (UGC, challenges, duets, prompts)
• Grow socials (reach, followers, conversation, shares)
• Build CRM (email/SMS sign-ups, pre-saves, exclusives, community)
• Include digital activations (lives, listening parties, interactive drops)
• Consider partnerships/collabs (creators, brands, tastemakers + how they activate)

Ideas can take any form (short-form series, social formats, fan/community activations, interactive prompts, etc.).

For each idea, include:

• What it is
• Why it fits the artist
• How it moves the music forward

What We’re Evaluating

We’re not looking for metrics, budgets, or viral formulas. We’re looking for:

• Clear, original thinking
• Artist-specific ideas
• Cultural taste and awareness
• Strong reasoning and intention

How to Submit

Upload your digital marketing concepts directly through the application form as a PDF link, slide deck, written document, video submission or shareable presentation link.

Marketing (Onsite: CA)

Marketers / Project Managers at Motown oversee the full rollout of an artist’s campaign, shaping and executing a strategy that clearly communicates the artist’s vision to the public. They manage assets and timelines while coordinating cross-department teams to ensure the campaign is aligned, timely, and effective.

Purpose

This exercise evaluates your ability to interpret an artist’s music and translate it into a high-level, cross-department marketing plan that feels cohesive, intentional, and executable.

Your Assignment

Choose an R&B/Hip-Hop artist and single of your choice.

Create a marketing deck for your chosen single campaign with one slide per department.

Your deck must include a slide for each department:

• IRL Activations
• Digital Marketing (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc.)
• Streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, etc.)
• Press
• Creative (Video + Artwork Creative Direction)
• Brands (Collabs / Partnerships)
• Ecommerce (Merch, D2C, CRM)

For each department, include:

• What it is
• How it supports the artist’s vision for the single
• Mockups (if applicable, especially for Creative & Ecommerce)

What We’re Evaluating

We’re not looking for budgets or viral formulas. We’re looking for:

• Strategic interpretation of the artist + music
• Cross-department thinking and campaign cohesion
• Creativity, clarity, and executional detail
• Strong reasoning and intention

How to Submit

Upload your marketing deck directly through the application form as a PDF link, PowerPoint, Keynote, video submission or shareable presentation link.

Creative (Onsite: CA)

Creative at Motown translates an artist’s music, identity, and cultural world into a cohesive visual language. This work is rooted in storytelling, aesthetic clarity, and intention—not replication or trend-driven visuals.

Purpose

This exercise helps us understand how you build a complete creative world around an artist and translate that into a campaign that feels clear, compelling, and artist-specific.

Your Assignment

Choose any independent or non-UMG artist (emerging, underground, unsigned, or personally connected).

Create one fully developed creative campaign concept for a single or album that builds a cohesive visual world across touchpoints (artwork, video, press, design, content, etc.).

Your concept can include any combination of:

• Music video direction
• Single/album artwork
• Press/editorial shoot concept
• Creative collaborators (photographer, director, stylist, designer, etc.)
• Physical design (vinyl/packaging/posters/merch)
• Visualizers or short-form content direction

Your submission should include:

• The Core Concept
• Visual World (tone, palette, styling, textures, references, atmosphere)
• Execution Touchpoints
• Creative Collaborators
• Why It Fits the Artist
• How It Strengthens the Campaign

What We’re Evaluating

•  World-building ability
• Strong visual taste + cultural awareness
• Artist-specific thinking
• Intentional execution choices
• Clear articulation and creative presence
• A campaign that feels complete and cohesive

How to Submit

Upload your creative campaign concept directly through the application form as a PDF link, slide deck, portfolio link, video submission or shareable presentation.