BREAKING: Warner Chappell Nashville President & CEO, Ben Vaughn, Passes Away
Ben Vaughn
Ben Vaughn, President & CEO of Warner Chappell Music Nashville, passed away this morning (Jan. 30). He was 49.
Vaughn spent over a decade at the helm of the company, overseeing all creative and commercial activities across A&R, administration, business development, finance and human resources. Vaughn also worked with staff songwriters, while actively engaging in songwriter advocacy and rights protection initiatives.
The news was sent to the Warner Music Group staff by Warner Chappell leaders Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall.
“Ben has led our Nashville team since 2012, and we know that many of you around the world got to know him over the years. Anyone who had the pleasure of working with him will be as shocked and saddened as we are,” they write. “First and foremost, Ben was an extraordinary human being. He met everyone with enthusiasm, warmth and generosity. His smile was huge, and his sense of humor was infectious.”
The full memo, obtained by MusicRow, is below.
Vaughn grew up in the small Kentucky town of Sullivan, home to just 500 people. A lifelong country music fan, he landed a job at his local radio station, WMSK, where he became obsessed with the liner notes in the CDs that arrived at the station’s office.
Determined to chase his country music dreams, he enrolled at Nashville’s Belmont University. While in school, he reconnected with his former middle school computer teacher, who had become a staff songwriter at Warner Chappell. She introduced him to Kurt Denny, who brought Vaughn on as an intern—marking the start of his publishing career.
Soon, Vaughn earned an internship at Warner Chappell’s partner company, Big Tractor Music. When the company’s leader unexpectedly left, 21-year-old Vaughn found himself in charge.
Scott Hendricks, Big Tractor’s owner at the time, was balancing his role as head of Capitol Records and producing major artists. He gave Vaughn six months to prove that he could lead the company, but warned that if he quit school, he would fire him. Vaughn not only succeeded in growing the small publishing company but also graduated from college.
After six years at Big Tractor, EMI approached Vaughn about a leadership position. He thrived at EMI, eventually running the creative department for seven years. At 34, he became the youngest executive to lead a major publisher in Nashville when he was named EVP and GM of EMI Music Publishing.
During a major acquisition of EMI companies, Vaughn was unable to stay on. After a six-month sabbatical, Warner Chappell tapped him to lead its Nashville office. Returning to the company where he had once been an intern, he reunited with colleagues who had witnessed his earliest days in publishing.
Under Vaughn’s leadership, Warner Chappell Nashville earned multiple Country Publisher of the Year honors from ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, achieving the prestigious Triple Crown in 2019 by sweeping all three PRO awards. His songwriters amassed 19 CMA, ACM, Grammy, or PRO Songwriter of the Year honors, 35 Song of the Year titles, and eight inductions into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Vaughn was a fierce advocate for songwriters in and outside of Nashville, whether they were affiliated with Warner Chappell or not. He often spoke of the plight of the craft and lended his expertise to those in the community.
Read his story in his own words here.
Vaughn is preceded in death by his wife, Carlee Ann Vaughn. He is survived by three children: Ruby, Griffin and Zeke. Services have not yet been announced.
To everyone at WMG,
It is with broken hearts that we share the unthinkable news that Ben Vaughn, President & CEO of Warner Chappell Nashville, passed away this morning. Our deepest condolences are with his family and many friends.
Ben has led our Nashville team since 2012, and we know that many of you around the world got to know him over the years. Anyone who had the pleasure of working with him will be as shocked and saddened as we are.
First and foremost, Ben was an extraordinary human being. He met everyone with enthusiasm, warmth, and generosity. His smile was huge, and his sense of humor was infectious.
He was always a passionate advocate of songwriters and a topflight music publisher. The Nashville community has lost one of its greatest champions, and he will be profoundly missed by so many across our company and the entire industry.
We are planning to visit the Nashville team very soon and thank you all for helping support them through this awful tragedy.
With love,
Guy & Carianne
