Australia’s music business is mourning the lack of Matthew Capper, the long-serving former managing director of Warner Chappell Australia, who died unexpectedly earlier this month following a surgical process.
Capper suffered a ruptured appendix in late December, and couldn’t battle off the an infection after the operation, reads an announcement from his household.
A stalwart with greater than 20 years’ service at Warner Chappell Australia, Capper led the enterprise as managing director from 2010, till his departure in February 2024, a part of a company-wide downsizing.
Dan Rosen, president of Warner Music Australasia, remembers Capper as a top-notch govt, sport, and an ideal individual. “He cared deeply in regards to the songwriters he represented,” Rosen writes in a message to workers, The Music Community reviews, “and his efforts to guard and rejoice their music made a long-lasting impression on Warner Chappell and the broader music neighborhood in Australia. He was above all else, in each interplay, a gentleman.”
In 2005, Capper grew to become the youngest individual ever appointed to the AMCOS board on the age of simply 28. Two years later, in 2007, he grew to become the youngest to affix the APRA board, at 30. He remained a director on each boards till late February 2024, in addition to serving as deputy chair of the AMCOS board from 2020-2024.
Associates, former colleagues and enterprise rivals are paying their respects. “I’m fully shocked and saddened to listen to of the passing of pricey pal and colleague, Matthew Capper. I bear in mind Matthew as an extremely honest, principled skilled who was captivated with music publishing. He was self-deprecating, all the time liked a joke and loved spending time with colleagues,” feedback Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS.
“He had nice regard for the work of APRA AMCOS and was very pleased with his lengthy connection to the group and workers. He can be sorely missed by us all, and our ideas exit to his family and friends at this very tough time.”
Jenny Morris, chair of APRA, says Capper’s demise is a troublesome one for the business. “We have now had many losses from the music business household in the previous few years, all of which have been sources of nice unhappiness, however Matt’s demise has been an enormous shock,” she remarks. “Matt was one of the respectable, smart and humorous folks and I really feel very privileged not solely to have identified him, however to have had his friendship.”
Capper, she continues, “labored with real care and a large amount of business consciousness on the APRA board, and on quite a lot of events despatched supportive messages at simply the appropriate time. He was an empath as effectively.”
By means of his profession, Capper was a tireless advocate for the music publishers neighborhood. He was voted into the place as chair of the Australasian Music Publishers’ Affiliation (AMPAL) in 2013, virtually a decade after becoming a member of the commerce physique’s board, in 2004. Capper additionally represented AMPAL on the Worldwide Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP) board, each as non-executive director and extra not too long ago as Treasurer, a place he was particularly pleased with. His involvement with ICMP prolonged to chairing its Australasia and Asia Regional Group.
“I used to be fortunate to spend so much of time with Matthew on the AMPAL, AMCOS and APRA boards, usually travelling to Sydney collectively from Melbourne for conferences,” remembers Jaime Gough, chair of AMCOS. “Matthew was a real skilled, an ideal mentor and sounding board. He was passionate in regards to the songwriter and writer members we symbolize, and a vocal advocate for his or her rights.”
Gough, managing director of Harmony Music Publishing ANZ (previously Native Tongue), continues, “I’m nonetheless in a state of shock at Matthew’s passing. He had a lot extra to offer to the music business, many extra meals to cook dinner, and can be sorely missed. My ideas exit to his household and mates.”
The late govt is not going to have a funeral, per his needs.
Capper “reached some dizzying heights, and he met lots of people that he enormously revered, even after assembly them,” reads the household assertion. “We expect he was quietly pleased with his achievements. We actually had been. We’re additionally sure he thought he had much more work to do. Hopefully others have been impressed by him and may proceed that.”
