Shanti Das A true pioneer for women in the Music Business Industry. Her dream started in high school when she volunteered at V103 FM in Atlanta where she quickly realized that music is her passion. Acknowledging her fate, she applied to Syracuse University where she majored in Television/Radio/Film. Utilizing every opportunity while completing school, she was an on-air disc jockey and worked her way to the position of Assistant Promotions Director at the University Radio Station. In her sophomore year she was offered a job at Capitol Records for the summer, followed by a job upon graduation as an intern at Sony Music in Atlanta which, in turn with relentless hard work, led to a job for LaFace Records. She kept her nose to the grindstone and continued her path of success to become Executive Vice President of Urban Marketing and Artist Development at Universal Motown Records, propelling the careers of artists such as Usher, Outkast, Toni Braxton, and a host of others. Das has since become the CEO of her self-made Press Reset Entertainment, a firm based in Atlanta with her main focus and concentration now being in mentoring & philanthropy.
In her newly released book, Shanti Das: The Hip-Hop Professional, Shanti lays out her own personal experience with the struggles of rising up as one of very few women in the music business industry as well as sharing her own personal recipe for success. After being prompted to write a book by her close friend, Dr. Cherry Collier, at a symposium at Princeton University, she spent consecutive hours putting everything from her life experience down on paper. She attributes her own success to living by her principles of business such as the three “P’s”— perseverance, professionalism and positioning—all while holding onto being true to herself and those around her. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Shanti Das and seized the opportunity to pick her brain about her path in life and her recent book release. This is what she had to say:
Interview conducted by freelance writer Abigail Lynne & facilitated by TMN
Abigail Lynne: What kind of experiences, personal or business-wise, inspired you to write this book?
Shanti Das: “It’s been a good experience over the last 20 years, but I’ve had some challenges as well. I want to inspire and tell women how to handle themselves…”
Shanti goes into further details about deciding how handling yourself as a woman in a business world surrounded by men can either make you or break you. Literally building herself from the ground up, she started out doing things like spending late nights handing out prmo tapes in clubs and even promoting artists at strip clubs. Most of the time she was the only female there handling business, surrounded by women projecting themselves as sexual objects. So, being adamant about demanding respect from the men around her was a must. She further advises, “Don’t let the men see you sweat. Don’t let men see you as emotional. In this industry, you are constantly surrounded by vulgarity and explicit lyrics. Always handle yourself as a lady and be strong. Men will test you to see if you are weak and to see if you can make it in this business.”
Abigail Lynne: What made you want to share your experience in the music industry with other women, or people [in general] for that matter, in book format?
Shanti Das: “There’s not many resource guides for the business, especially for women. I want to change the perception of women hating on women and instead emphasize embracing one another.”
Abigail Lynne: Your book focuses on women being successful business women in the music industry. Were there any women along your path that inspired you or pushed you to go harder?
Shanti Das: “Dee Dee Murray gave me my start and taught me a lot in terms of being a hard worker and not being afraid to be around a lot of men. She gave me my start at Capitol Records in 1991 and pushed me to get out and not be afraid. Sheri Riley of Glue Inc— she taught me to realize the power of my own brand as ‘Shanti Das’ and not just Shanti Das of La Face Records. Sylvia Rhone was there for me when I transitioned from Motown to starting my own company. She supported me 100% and helped me make a smooth transition with the higher-ups and understood the personal problems I was experiencing at that time. Sylvia gave me time to figure things out and to make it a smooth transition for myself and the company. That doesn’t always happen in business especially the music industry.”
Abigail Lynne: Your former boss, L.A. Reid, stated the following regarding your book, “Shanti and I spent extraordinary years at LaFace Records developing the careers of Toni Braxton, TLC, Outkast, Pink and Usher. It was an incredibly important time, not just for us, but also for the template that LaFace established for the entire music industry. Shanti has gone on to carve out a crucial role for herself in the entertainment industry. She is an originator, and I am thankful that she has documented her amazing history for all to learn from.” How does that feel coming from one of the most powerful men in the industry?
Shanti Das: “Humbled and appreciative. Mr. Reid is still on top of his game, and he is now about to become one of the new judges for Simon Cowell’s show ‘The X Factor’, and he is also transitioning from Def Jam to Sony Music. For him to still be on top of his game and hold me in such high regard with all that I have learned from him and all he has taught me throughout the years, I will forever be indebted.”
Abigail Lynne: A lot of people in the industry mix business with pleasure and get caught up in the glamour of it. How have you remained so focused and grounded throughout your career?
Shanti Das: “I didn’t change much from when I was in high school. I wasn’t always caught up in the hype, so I just tried to take those same principles from high school and transition them into the music industry. I never cared about gossip in high school, so when I got into music I was the same way. You gotta know what’s going on around you but don’t get caught up in it. I understand people have fun, it’s the music business. I wasn’t the corny chick who couldn’t enjoy myself, but at the same time I understood the importance of handling my business and that was my first priority.”