Shanti Das is a music industry executive, marketing consultant, entrepreneur, philanthropist and author. She was most recently Executive Vice President of Urban Marketing and Artist Development at Universal Motown Records, where she managed the marketing campaigns for artists such as Akon

Akon

Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...

, Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu

Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...

, and Ashanti.

She suffered from a tragedy at an early age, when her Indian father (originally from Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

) committed suicide when she was 7 months old, leaving her African-American mother to take care of three children alone.

Das graduated from Atlanta's Benjamin Mays High School in 1989. She attended Syracuse University

Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

, where she majored in Television, Radio and Film in the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications

S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications

The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is the communications school at Syracuse University. It has programs in print and broadcast journalism; advertising; public relations; and television and film....

. In the summers of 1991 and 1992, she worked her first record label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 job as an urban promotions assistant at Capitol Records

Capitol Records

Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

. She briefly interned in the sales department at Sony Music Atlanta before graduating from Syracuse in 1993 with a bachelor of science

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 degree in communications.

Right out of college, LaFace Records

LaFace Records

LaFace Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment.-Company history:LaFace was formed in 1989 as a joint venture between the producing duo Antonio "L.A." Reid & Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Arista Records. The combined nicknames of the duo's successful...

 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

OutKast

Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...

, Goodie Mob

Goodie Mob

Goodie Mob is a Hip Hop act based in Atlanta, Georgia that formed in 1991 and currently consists of members Cee-Lo Green, Khujo, T-Mo and Big Gipp.-History:The group's name acts as a double backronym...

, Usher

Usher (entertainer)

Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...

, TLC

TLC (band)

TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...

 and Toni Braxton

Toni Braxton

Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...

. She traveled with several artist tours, including Braxton’s first major U.S. concert tour

Concert

A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...

 (1993), TLC’s “CrazySexyCool

CrazySexyCool

CrazySexyCool is the second studio album by American R&B group TLC, released by LaFace Records on November 15, 1994 in North America...

” 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

Donell Jones

Donell Jones is an American R&B singer, songwriter and record producer.He is most notable for the hits "U Know What's Up," "Where I Wanna Be," and his cover of Stevie Wonder's "Knocks Me Off My Feet"...

, 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

Arista Records

Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...

, where L. A. Reid

L. A. Reid

Antonio "L.A." Reid is a three-time Grammy Award-winning US record executive, songwriter, and record producer. Best known as the co-founder of LaFace Records, he is responsible for signing and helping bring Mariah Carey, Pink, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Kanye West, Avril Lavigne, Toni Braxton, TLC,...

 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

Freedom of the City

Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...

” 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

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

. While at Columbia, she marketed high profile projects for So So Def Records

So So Def Recordings

So So Def Recordings is a record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by producer Jermaine Dupri, specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B and bass music.-Beginnings:...

, Jagged Edge

Jagged Edge (band)

Jagged Edge is an American R&B group, with the lead singers, Brandon & Brian, born in Hartford, CT on October 13, 1975, Kyle Norman of Decatur, GA born on February 26,1976 and Richard Wingo of College Park, GA born on September 3, 1975. Wingo was a late addition to the group, added after Kandi...

, Bow Wow and Jermaine Dupri

Jermaine Dupri

Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...

. In 2003, she was elevated to Sr. Vice President of Urban Marketing at Sony Urban Music

Sony Urban Music

Sony Urban Music was a division of Sony BMG, active from 2004 to 2006, The division handled R&B, soul, and hip hop releases by artists nominally signed to Sony's Columbia and Epic labels...

, where she developed and coordinated marketing and artist development campaigns for Prince

Prince (musician)

Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

, Vivian Green

Vivian Green

Vivian Green is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter and pianist.-Early life:Green was born May 22, 1979 in the East Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and took an interest in singing, playing the piano, and songwriting at a very young age. At the age of thirteen, she...

, Lyfe

Lyfe Jennings

Lyfe Jennings is a platinum-selling American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist. He plays the guitar, bass, and piano which he integrates into his music...

 and Omarion

Omarion

Omari Ishmael Grandberry better known as Omarion, is an American R&B singer, actor, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and former lead singer of the R&B group, B2K. Omarion was spotted at a young age by a manager, Christopher B. Stokes, who took a liking to his vocal abilities...

.

In 2005, Das joined Universal Motown as Executive Vice President of Urban Marketing and Artist Development. From 2007-2009, she was co-President of 1st Class Entertainment and co-Founder of R&B Live New York, a monthly live music series that showcased urban talent from signed and unsigned artist

Unsigned artist

The term "unsigned artist" or "independent artist" is used in the music industry as a marketing technique.-History and current scene:Many unsigned artists used to sell their music and music-related merchandise without the financial support of a record label, while often seeking a recording contract...

s.

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

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS, is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its...

 (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 was named to Crain Communications "40 Under 40" in 2009. Later that year, moved by the plight of those who either could not afford to bury their loved ones, she created May We Rest in Peace, a nonprofit organization to help bury bodies stacking up at Detroit's Wayne County Morgue.

Das left Universal Motown in 2009 and launched the company PressReset.me, an Atlanta-based firm that provides entertainment marketing consulting, talent booking, special event planning and life mentoring services. She is currently co-founder of the live music showcase, ATL LIVE on the Park, a southern version of Das' R&B Live showcase.

In August 2010, Das wrote and published the book "The Hip-Hop Professional: A Woman’s Guide to Climbing the Ladder of Success in the Entertainment Business," which chronicles her 20-year career in the music industry.