Lauren Wirtzer-Seawood, former Head of Music Partnerships at Instagram, has been appointed the first ever President of Brooklyn-based indie music startup UnitedMasters.
In this new role, Wirtzer-Seawood will guide UnitedMasters toward its goal of operationalizing independence and enabling musicians to augment their creative and economic potential.
A 20-year music industry veteran, Wirtzer-Seawood has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in business and featured on Billboard’s Power 100. During her tenure with Instagram, she served as liaison to the music world and helped artists across genres maximize the platform’s potential. She also did a stint with Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment, where she served as Head of Digital and held a critical role in the surprise launch of Beyonce’s first self-titled visual album. Additionally, Wirtzer-Seawood has held roles at social-gaming platform, Zynga, and spent over 10 years at Def Jam Enterprises.
Commenting on the appointment, Steve Stoute, UnitedMasters Founder and CEO said: “Lauren is a modern visionary in the music and tech industries. Her deep understanding of both ecosystems makes her perfectly suited to steer UnitedMasters as it rewrites the narrative of what it means to be an artist today. Lauren has always been a trailblazer and will be integral to the continued growth of UnitedMasters. I could not be more excited to welcome her to our team.”
Added Wirtzer-Seawood: “UnitedMasters represents the future. It is building an alternative model to facilitate success for artists who choose independence. More so than ever before, UnitedMasters is enabling new and exciting opportunities for artists to flourish on their own terms. I am thrilled to join Steve and the team to continue to drive his vision forward.”
As a new industry alternative, UnitedMasters provides artists with premium music distribution services, the tools and support they need to directly connect with fans and facilitates partnerships with some of the world’s biggest brands including the NBA, Bose, and iHeartRadio.