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Doug Morris, the chairman and CEO of Sony Music, has had his hands on plenty of hits over the years — most recently Justin Timberlake’s “20/20 Experience.”
But few, he said, can match the intensity of “Motown: The Musical,” the smash Broadway hit he invested $16.5 million in, which is playing to sellout crowds at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater.
In his first interview about the show, Morris told The Post that it was his absolute belief in the show’s creator, Berry Gordy, the famed founder of Motown Records, and advice from Steve Jobs, the late Apple co-founder , that convinced him to get involved with his first Broadway show.
“[Steve] told me, ‘Follow your passion — if it’s something you want, use your own money.’” Morris said yesterday in an interview in his Midtown office.
Convinced by Jobs to take the financial leap, Morris said he then had to persuade Gordy to jump in.
Berry wasn’t sure but eventually the two men made a simple pact at Gordy’s LA Mansion.“I’ll put up the money and you do the work and we will split the proceeds 50/50,” Morris said. to move forward with the “Motown” concept rather than with the previous title, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
The musical, which won four Tony nominations this week, follows the story of how Gordy set up the legendary record label with an $800 loan from his family.
It is packed with hits, including “My Girl,” and “Reet Petite” and follows Gordy’s love affair with Diana Ross — with the political and musical upheavals of the sixties and seventies as a backdrop.
If “Motown” continues to pack the house, it is expected to break a profit after about a year — a quick return in Broadway terms.
Morris, one of three producers of the show, still can’t believe his good luck — he said he always figured he’d be “taking a bath” on the investment given the fickle nature of Broadway audiences.
While the early reaction of theatergoers have Morris in a joyous mood, the executive said he was not as happy with how the Tony Awards folks treated the show.
“I was disappointed it didn’t get top musical,” said Morris.
Tony noms in the category instead went to Cyndi Lauper’s “Kinky Boots,” “Matilda,” “Bring it On,” and “A Christmas Story” — none of which are as commercially successful, he noted.
Morris said he worked for years on the show — not only to get it in shape but also to secure certain rights for the cast album.
Ironically, that portion of his effort will not pay off — at least for Sony Music.
Morris was a senior executive at Universal Music when he signed for the rights to the CD. That means, in the coming months when the cast CD is released and fans file out after the show and buy the CD, it will be Lucian Grainge, the CEO of Universal, who will benefit.
Despite his out-of-the-bok success, Morris says he’s sticking to his day job.
And why not.
In addition to having the No. 1 Broadway show, in mid-April Sony Music’s Timberlake CD was also No. 1 and Pink’s “Just Give Me A Reason” was the top-selling single.
Sitting in his Madison Avenue office weeks after the show opened, the 75-year old Morris appears on the road to a profitable investment. But why did he take such a huge financial risk?
“They were planning on retiring me,” he joked. “I had to have something to do.”