Matthew Capper, Former Managing Director of Warner Chappell Australia, Has Died

Matthew Capper, the long-serving former managing director of Warner Chappell Australia, has died following a brief illness.

The music publishing veteran had suffered a ruptured appendix around Christmastime, and could not fight off the infection after surgery. Capper passed a week ago, reads a statement from his family issued Sunday, January 19th.

“Matthew was a cherished son, brother, uncle and nephew, taken far too soon, and is sorely missed,” the family statement continues.

“Matthew loved music. He’d always hoped to make it big with his own but ended up becoming a part of the industry in a different way. He loved it, and he also hated aspects of it. We’ve heard from reliable sources that he always acted with integrity, and tried to be a force for positive change. We never thought we’d have a brother who would be addressing the audience at big music awards ceremonies, but there he was. Perhaps Matthew never guessed he would have been doing it either.”

Outside of his duties leading Warner Chappell’s affiliate from Melbourne, he was non-executive director of APRA and AMCOS, deputy chair of AMCOS, chair and non-executive director of publishers trade association AMPAL, and treasurer and non-executive director of ICMP, the global trade body representing the music publishing industry worldwide.

On his election to the board of APRA in 2007, he became the youngest-ever director of the authors’ rights society, aged 30 – a record that stands today.

Prior to his time at Warner Chappell, Capper cut his teeth as administration manager at Festival Music Publishing, a now-defunct Australian independent music publishing brand which was acquired by Mushroom Music in 2005.

Capper “reached some dizzying heights, and he met a lot of people that he greatly respected, even after meeting them. We think he was quietly proud of his achievements. We certainly were. We’re also certain he thought he had a lot more work to do. Hopefully others have been inspired by him and can continue that,” reads the family statement.

The late executive will not have a funeral, per his wishes. “We’re still coming to terms with this ourselves,” the message concludes, “and we ask that you respect the family’s privacy.”