Jeff Vaughn is an American music executive. He is the founder and CEO of Signal Records, a joint venture with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. Until 2021, he was the chairman and CEO of

Capitol Music Group Capitol Music Group is an American front-line umbrella label operating as a unit of Interscope Capitol Labels Group, itself a division of Universal Music Group. Inherited from UMG's acquisition of EMI's catalog in 2013, it oversees the handling of ...

. He was the featured executive in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'''s 40 Under 40 list in 2021.

Early life and education

Vaughn was born in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. He graduated from

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

Career

Vaughn started his career at

United Talent Agency United Talent Agency (UTA) is a global talent agency based in Beverly Hills, California. Established in 1991, it represents artists and other professionals across the entertainment industry. , the company has more than 1,400 global employees. ...

. In 2011, he joined newly launched

Artist Partner Group Artist Partner Group, Inc. (APG) is an American record label and music publishing company founded by Mike Caren in 2013, who has since served as chief executive officer (CEO). The label's parent company, Artist Publishing Group, publishes its rele ...

, then a joint venture with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. During his time at Artist Partner Group, he signed and worked closely with hip hop/R&B powerhouses

Youngboy Never Broke Again Kentrell DeSean Gaulden (born October 20, 1999), known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again or NBA YoungBoy, is an American rapper. From Louisiana, United States, Gaulden released eight independent mixtapes and garnered a regional foll ...

Kehlani Kehlani Ashley Parrish ( ; born April 24, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. She is originally from Oakland, California, and achieved initial fame as a member of the teen pop group PopLyfe in 2011. Kehlani's debut mixtape, '' ...

Kevin Gates Kevin Jerome Gilyard (born February 5, 1986), better known by his stage name Kevin Gates, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is currently signed to Bread Winners' Association with a partnership with Atlantic Records ...

NLE Choppa Bryson LaShun Potts, (born November 1, 2002), known professionally as NLE Choppa (previously YNR Choppa), is an American rapper and songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. He gained recognition with the release of his 2019 single " Shotta Flow", ...

NoCap Kobe Vidal Crawford Jr. (born August 20, 1998), known professionally as NoCap, is an American rapper and singer. He signed with YoungBoy Never Broke Again's namesake record label, an imprint of Atlantic Records in 2019. His debut studio album, ...

Rico Nasty Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly (born May 7, 1997), known professionally as Rico Nasty, is an American rapper from Prince George's County, Maryland. She began Self-publishing, self-releasing while in high school, and had released five solo mixtapes by ...

Lil Skies Kimetrius Christopher Foose (born August 4, 1998), known by his stage name Lil Skies, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. He signed with Atlantic Records in 2017 to release the singles " I", " Nowadays", an ...

and

Don Toliver Caleb Zackery "Don" Toliver ( ; born June 12, 1994) is an American rapper and singer. He emerged to fame in 2018 with the release of his debut mixtape, ''Donny Womack'', and his feature on the song "Can't Say" by fellow Houston rapper Travis Sco ...

, among others. He was also instrumental in the signing of

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams II (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern hip hop music, hip hop and trap music ...

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

. In 2020, he became the president of

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

, and became chairman and CEO of

the next year. Under his leadership, the label signed

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

multi-platinum certified artist

Toosii Nau'Jour Lazier Grainger (born January 9, 2000), better known by his stage name Toosii, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Beginning his career in 2017, he rose to mainstream prominence following the release of his 2023 single " Favor ...

and

Kay Flock Kevin Perez (born April 20, 2003), known professionally as Kay Flock, is an American rapper. Hailing from the Bronx, he began his career in 2020 and rose to fame through a variety of singles, most notably " Shake It". He released his debut mixt ...

and secured the label's first No. 1 album on ''Billboard's'' Top R&B Albums Chart in decades with Queen Naija's ''missunderstood'' album. The label also saw success with numerous

multi-platinum and platinum certified releases from new artists, including Capella Grey's '' Gyalis'', Surf Mesa's '' ily (i love you baby)'' and Mooski's ''Track Star''. He was honored in the cover story of ''Billboard’s'' 40 Under 40 list in 2021 for reinvigorating the Capitol roster and expanding the label’s investments in hip hop and R&B. In 2022, he founded the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

-based record label Signal Records and became its CEO.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughn, Jeff American music industry executives Businesspeople from Virginia Hip-hop people Duke University alumni