The legendary Motown Records and Universal Music Enterprises are celebrating the famed label’s 50th anniversary with year-long promotions and releases, including a series of online podcasts featuring rare and intimate conversations by many of label’s acclaimed singers, producers, and songwriters.

The first podcast episode featuring Smokey Robinson aired January, 12 2009. New episodes will debut bi-weekly, with segments including: label founder Berry Gordy; Nick Cannon; the late Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops; The New York Times columnist Frank Rich; the Temptations’ Otis Williams and the late Melvin Franklin; Stevie Wonder; Levi Stubbs and Lamont Dozier (of H-D-H fame); KCRW’s Garth Trinidad; Diana Ross; songwriters Pam Sawyer and Marilyn McLeod; hip-hop pioneer and Universal Motown artist Q-Tip; and songwriter/producer Dozier.

Other upcoming segments will include Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5, the Commodores, film director Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill), and songwriter Diane Warren.

As part of the year-long celebration, Motown released a 10-CD box set, “Motown: The Complete No. 1’s,” this past December, which included more than 200 classic songs from 50 Motown artists, plus a 100-page photo booklet with rare images and an introduction by Smokey Robinson. 

In addition, the label just released “NOW That’s What I Call Motown!” (January 13, 2009), the latest compilation in the hugely successful “NOW That’s What I Call Music!” series.