Ben Vaughn, President/ceo Of Warner Chappell Nashville, Dies At 49

Ben Vaughn, president/CEO of Warner Chappell Nashville, died on Thursday (Jan. 30). A cause of death was not disclosed. He was 49.

The much-beloved Vaughn, who was Billboard‘s Country Power Players executive of the year in 2020, joined Warner Music Chappell in 2012 and was promoted to the president role of Warner Music Chappell Nashville in 2017, adding the role of CEO in 2019. The Belmont University alumnus was honored with Belmont’s Music City Milestone Award in 2015.

Warner Chappell Music co-chairs Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall released the following memo to Warner Chappell Music staffers that read in part, “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.”

Under Vaughn, Warner Chappell Nashville had consistently dominated the country music publishing market. In 2024, they were crowned ASCAP Country Music and BMI Publisher of the Year (for the fifth time) and marked their third consecutive quarter at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay publisher rankings. Apart from Q3 of 2022 to Q3 of 2023, Warner Chappell Nashville had consistently held the quarterly top spot, dating back to the first quarter of 2017

Jon Platt, chairman/CEO of Sony Music Publishing, who worked with Vaughn at EMI and then brought him over to Warner Chappell in 2012 said, “I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend Ben Vaughn, and united in grief with the entire songwriting community.  Ben dedicated his life to songwriters.  As an exceptional leader and mentor, he leaves an indelible mark on the music business. I extend my deepest condolences to his loved ones and all who were touched by his spirit. I feel privileged to have known Ben and shared a close relationship with him. He was the best of the best and I will miss him greatly.”  

Moot and Marshall’s full memo to WMG:

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

This is a developing story.