Former Capitol Music Group chairman and CEO Jeff Vaughn has landed at Columbia Records, where he’ll launch and oversee a new imprint for the Sony Music label called Signal Records, the company announced on Wednesday.
As founder and CEO, Vaughn will lead all creative and business endeavors at the new label — based in Los Angeles with a roster still being finalized. Vaughn and company will have the backing of Columbia’s marketing, promotion and label services teams as he gets Signal boosted.
Vaughn arrives at Signal/Columbia after a nearly two-year tenure at CMG, where he rose from president of Capitol Records to chairman and CEO of the label group. He was profiled a year ago in Billboard’s annual 40 Under 40 list, which highlighted his work ethic and strategic focus on hip-hop and R&B. He left CMG in December after Michelle Jubelirer was promoted to chair and CEO of CMG.
The Virginia native and Duke grad began his music career in the mailroom at UTA and in 2012 joined Artist Partner Group, where he went on to sign or work with such acts as Youngboy Never Broke Again, Kehlani, Kevin Gates and Rico Nasty, among others.
“I’ve admired Jeff’s work from afar for a while,” noted Ron Perry, chairman and CEO of Columbia, in a statement. “He has incredible musical instincts, an infectious work ethic, and great passion. I’m looking forward to working together on this new chapter.”
Vaughn added that Signal will be home to artists wanting to “amplify their voice without diluting their message. Ron and [evp/general manager] Jen Mallory lead a forward-thinking team that shares our commitment to this mission, making Columbia Records our perfect partner. I am thrilled to be nurturing the next generation of creative and executive talent with their support.”
