Dave Shapiro, groundbreaking music executive, dies in San Diego plane crash

Dave Shapiro, a groundbreaking music executive in the heavy metal and hard rock scene, has died in a San Diego plane crash. He was 42.

Shapiro had a pilot’s license and was listed as the owner of the plane that crashed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The music agency Sound Talent Group confirmed Shapiro died in the Thursday morning crash along with two employees.

"We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends,” the agency said in a statement.

Shapiro cofounded Sound Talent Group in 2018 with Tim Borror and Matt Andersen. The agency’s roster focuses on alternative bands across pop-punk, metalcore, post-hardcore and other popular hard rock subgenres. Clients have included Hanson, Pierce The Veil, Parkway Drive, Sum 41 and Vanessa Carlton.

Shapiro was a strong advocate for independent musicians and a co-founder of the National Independent Talent Organization. He was included in Billboard's 2012 "30 Under 30” list recognizing rising stars in entertainment. Industry veterans say Shapiro paved the way for the formation of other independent agencies and helped many alternative bands find audiences in the mainstream.

"Finding something you love to do is only going to make you do a better job because you actually care. You’re not just showing up for the paycheck, it’s not a 9-to-5,” he said in a music industry podcast in 2021. "This is part of living your life if you really love it.”

Shapiro grew up in upstate New York in the "straightedge hard-core” scene, a subculture that promotes not using drugs and alcohol in reaction to mainstream punk.

Associated Press