User:Saptosa

Shanti Das (born February 19, 1971 in Atlanta, Georgia) is Executive Vice President of Urban Marketing and Artist Development at Universal Motown Records, where she manages the marketing campaigns for artists such as Akon, Erykah Badu, and Ashanti.

Das graduated from Atlanta’s Benjamin Mays High School in 1989. She attended Syracuse University, where she majored in Television, Radio and Film in the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications. From 1991 to 1992, she worked her first record label job as an urban promotions assistant at Capitol Records. She briefly interned in the sales department at Sony Music Atlanta before graduating from Syracuse in 1993 with a bachelor of science degree in communications.

Right out of college, LaFace Records hired Das as its National Director of Promotions, where she worked with label founders Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Antonio “LA” Reid on developing promotional campaigns for Outkast, Goodie Mob, Usher, TLC and Toni Braxton. She traveled with several artist tours, including Braxton’s first major U.S. concert tour (1993),  TLC’s “CrazySexyCool” tour (1995-1996), and Usher’s 1994 and 1995 promotional tours.

In 1996, Das was promoted to LaFace’s marketing department, where she planned and coordinated campaigns for Outkast, Donell Jones, Goodie Mob and Toni Braxton. In 1997, she received Impact Magazine’s “National Promotion Director of the Year” award at its “Summer XII Conference.” A year later, Impact named her “Music Executive of the Year.”

Upon the sale of LaFace Records to BMG in 2000, Das moved to New York and took on the role of Sr. Director of Urban Marketing at Arista Records, where L.A. Reid was then Arista’s new CEO. However, before leaving Atlanta, Outkast performed a free concert at Club Kaya in her honor. Das was awarded a “Key To The City of Atlanta” and June 5, 2000 was officially named “Shanti Das Day.”

Das left Arista in 2001 and became Vice President of Urban Marketing at Columbia Records. While at Columbia, she marketed high profile projects for So So Def Records, Jagged Edge, Bow Wow and Jermaine Dupri. In 2003, she was elevated to Sr. Vice President of Urban Marketing at Sony Urban Music, where she developed and coordinated marketing and artist development campaigns for Prince, Vivian Green, Nas, Lyfe, Omarion, and John Legend.

In 2005, Das joined Universal Motown as Executive Vice President of Urban Marketing and Artist Development. She is also Co-President of 1st Class Entertainment and Co-Founder of R&B Live New York, a monthly live music series that showcases urban talent from signed and unsigned artists.

Das sits on several boards and committees of organizations including:


 * S.I. Newhouse School of Communications Advisory Board Member
 * Bandier Music Program at Syracuse Advisory Board Member
 * NARAS (NY Chapter) Urban Committee Member
 * Apollo Theatre’s “Apollo Young Patrons” Committee Member

Das recently completed the program, “Effective Strategies for Media Companies: Navigating the New World,” at the Harvard School of Business in Dec 2008.

Das is a 2009 Member of “Crain’s 40 Under 40.”