Music Executive Dave Shapiro Dies in San Diego Plane Crash, Remembered for Championing Alternative Rock

Music Executive Dave Shapiro Dies in San Diego Plane Crash, Remembered for Championing Alternative Rock

Last Updated May - 23 - 2025, 05:16 PM | Source : Fela News

Dave Shapiro, co-founder of Sound Talent Group and a key figure in heavy metal and hard rock music, died in a San Diego plane crash. Tributes highlight his pass

Dave Shapiro, a pioneering music executive in the heavy metal and hard rock genres, tragically died at 42 in a plane crash near San Diego. Holding a pilot’s license and listed as the plane’s owner by the Federal Aviation Administration, Shapiro’s death also claimed the lives of two of his employees, confirmed by his agency, Sound Talent Group.

Shapiro co-founded Sound Talent Group in 2018 alongside Tim Borror and Matt Andersen. The agency specializes in representing alternative bands spanning pop-punk, metalcore, post-hardcore, and related hard rock styles, with clients like Hanson, Pierce The Veil, Parkway Drive, Sum 41, and Vanessa Carlton.

A passionate advocate for independent musicians, Shapiro also co-founded the National Independent Talent Organization. Recognized by Billboard in 2012’s “30 Under 30” list, he played a significant role in shaping independent music agencies and helping alternative bands break into mainstream audiences.

In a 2021 podcast, Shapiro emphasized that loving your work fuels better performance, beyond just working for a paycheck. Raised in upstate New York’s “straightedge hard-core” scene—which promotes abstaining from drugs and alcohol—he formed a band in high school that signed with Victory Records after graduation. His touring years laid the groundwork for his transition into the business side of music.

Shapiro’s love for flying began at age 22 with his first introductory flight, a passion he pursued alongside music. At one point, he even ran a talent agency office out of a San Diego hangar. “Flying helps me focus and cuts out all the outside distractions,” he shared in a 2020 interview.

He owned Velocity Aviation, a flight school, and Velocity Records, a label. Shapiro offered flights in San Diego and Homer, Alaska, where he and his wife Julia Pawlik Shapiro maintained a home. The couple married in 2016 in Talkeetna, Alaska, famously flying to a glacier in Denali National Park for their ceremony.

Julia described their instant bond over adventurous, unconventional lifestyles in a blog post.

In 2019, Shapiro earned his airline transport pilot rating—the highest U.S. pilot certification—while continuing his music career. Known for his love of thrills, he also enjoyed base-jumping.

Industry tributes poured in, honoring his warm nature and dedication to promoting emerging bands. Dayna Ghiraldi-Travers of Big Picture Media recalled his openness to all music acts. Nate Blasdell, former guitarist of I Set My Friends on Fire, expressed heartbreak and called Shapiro the best and most respected booking agent he worked with.

Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley credited Shapiro with reviving the band during a difficult period and valued his advice deeply.

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