Nashville music publishing executive Ben Vaughn dies
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Ben Vaughn, one of the most consequential publishing executives in Music City and a fierce advocate for songwriters, died suddenly Thursday. He was 49.
Vaughn rose quickly through the ranks of the music publishing industry, scoring the top job at Warner Chappell in 2012.
The company announced his death Thursday morning in a memo to staffers.
- "First and foremost, Ben was an extraordinary human being," Warner Chappell co-chairs Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall said in the memo. "He met everyone with enthusiasm, warmth, and generosity. His smile was huge, and his sense of humor was infectious."
Music publishing has long been the cornerstone of the country music industry in Nashville, and Vaughn was one of the most successful this century.
- He won an array of industry awards and served on many important nonprofit boards. He was named to Billboard's Power 100 list last year and he was the magazine's country power players executive of the year in 2020.
Thomas Rhett was one of many songwriters whose careers Vaughn shepherded.
- To be successful in the levels of music publishing, it takes an eye for creative talent and business acumen. Music publishers sign songwriters to business deals and pitch their songs to top artists.
Vaughn defined his concept of success in an interview with the Tennessean in 2017.
- "To me the No. 1 thing that determines success is how are we viewed in the community?" Vaughn said. "Are we the type of company that takes care of songwriters? Do we provide them opportunity? That's always No. 1. I believe if you do the really small things right, then the big successes are going to come."