Artist Partner Group (APG) is a record company established by Mike Caren.
Artist Partner Group launched in Los Angeles in 2013 as a sister company to Caren’s Artist Publishing Group.
In 2016, Warner Music Group made an equity investment in Artist Partner Group believed to be worth multiple millions of dollars.
At this time, Artist Partner Group operated a partner label of Atlantic Records,
Artists broken by APG in the modern era include Charlie Puth, Kevin Gates, Kehlani, and Axa Max.
Warner Investment and Atlantic catalog acquisition
In November 2020, Warner Music Group and Mike Caren announced that Atlantic Records had fully acquired APG’s catalog and roster.
At the time, Mike Caren said: “This is an exciting new chapter for Artist Partner Group and the amazing roster of artists we have worked with over the last eight years.
“I am thankful to the entire APG and Atlantic teams and all of the incredible talent that continually inspire us. I look forward to the ongoing growth and success of all of our partners and to continuing to build Artist Partner as a home to artists in the evolving market landscape.”
As a result of that deal, Caren exited his executive ties to Warner, and currently operates APG as an independent entity.
Jeff Vaughn move to Capitol Music Group
In December 2019, it was announced that Jeff Vaughn, VP of A&R at Artist Partner Group, would be moving to Capitol Music Group as President of its flagship label, Capitol Records.
In November 2020, less than a year later, it was announced that Vaugn would be taking over the whole of Capitol Music Group as CEO & Chairman in 2021.Music Business Worldwide