Photo by Meredith Truax

NEW YORK, November 6, 2018 — Theda Sandiford, a veteran marketing and business development music executive, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of International Commerce & Digital Marketing at Universal Music Group’s Republic Records, Island Records and Def Jam Recordings, effective immediately.

In her new role, Sandiford will lead global consumer marketing and commercial strategies to expand the opportunities for artists signed with Republic, Island and Def Jam to engage their fans and attract new audiences through a broad array of experiences. Sandiford will remain based in New York and report to Michael Alexander, Executive Vice President of International Marketing at Republic, Island and Def Jam.

In making the announcement, Alexander said, “The Republic, Island and Def Jam International team prides itself on always adapting to the everchanging landscape of the business and how we break artists globally. Theda is a pioneer in the digital marketplace and constantly innovating and identifying new ways to break artists. I’m thrilled to welcome her to the team.”

“This is a very exciting time in the music industry,” Sandiford said. “With streaming there are fewer barriers to reach territories and cultures around the world, enabling us to introduce artists to new audiences like never before. Republic, Island and Def Jam take a global view of this immense opportunity and I’m thrilled to help their artists engage with fans in new ways that lead to even greater levels of success.”

Sandiford previously served as Vice President of Commercial Partnerships, Streaming at Universal Music Group. She first started at the company in 1999 as a Single Sales Director before quickly moving into New Media department at the Island Def Jam Group. Sandiford joined Rush Communications in 2005 to launch Def Jam mobile phone content service and ran her own consultancy for eight years. Sandiford re-joined Universal Music in 2012 as Vice President of Digital Marketing at Republic Records and starting in 2014 served as Vice President of Commerce at Republic and Island.

Sandiford holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University and is an accredited sommelier by the International Wine Guild. Sandiford is also an accomplished mixed media artist whose work has been exhibited in festivals and galleries across the U.S. and who was recognized in 2016 with the People’s Choice Award and again in 2018 with a Certificate of  Achievement from the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Collective in New York. Her work resides on the set of ‘Being Mary Jane’ (in the stars’ on set apt) and in a large format installation at Lake Cuomo.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: http://www.universalmusic.com.

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