David Waxman has been appointed president of dance powerhouse Ultra Records, it was announced today. In this role, he will oversee overall management and day-to-day operations of the global electronic and dance music label and be responsible for identifying and developing new artists and projects.
Sony Music confirmed to PvNew that it has acquired the remaining shares in Ultra, which it has co-owned since 2012, and that former president Patrick Moxey, who founded the label in 1995, is no longer with the company. A rep for Moxey did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to the announcement, Waxman will be based in New York, where he will work closely with the labels and leadership team at Sony Music Entertainment to drive the continued growth of Ultra’s roster of current artists and back catalog around the world.
For the last two decades, Waxman has been Ultra’s head of A&R, working with such artists as Alina Baraz, Armin van Buuren, Benny Benassi, Black Coffee, Carnage, Chelsea Cutler, Deadmau5, Deorro, Kaskade, Louis the Child, Steve Aoki, Pitbull, and Tiesto among others.
Waxman began his career in his teens as a New York City nightclub promoter and then manager at legendary venues like The Palladium, The Tunnel and Limelight before becoming an acclaimed electronic music DJ. His marathon sets saw him landing residencies at such nightclubs as Twilo in New York, Liquid in Miami and Crobar in those two cities and Chicago. During that time, he started reviewing music as a journalist for Mixmag and was promoted to an editor for the magazine as well as A&R for their parent company, DMC. Shortly after, he began his tenure at Ultra.
