Ben Farber has stepped down as Vice President of Streaming Strategy & Revenue at Warner Records to lead VERSION III, the independent label and management company he co-founded, on a full-time basis.
The move follows the company’s success with country-pop artist Dasha, whose single “Austin” was released independently in 2023 and accumulated nearly 2 billion global streams before she signed with Warner.
Artist Development Pipeline
VERSION III, founded by Farber alongside Josh Epple and Andrew Cramb, has built a track record of developing acts that later secure major label partnerships.
- Country artist Dalton Davis was upstreamed to MCA/Universal.
- Americana-pop artist Ian Harrison moved to Sony Nashville.
- Pop-metal duo Sace6 signed with Sumerian Records.
- Hard rock band Holy Wars joined Rise Records.
New Signings
The company has recently added singer-songwriter Laila Mach, industrial metal band Heartline, pop artist LEXXE, and country artist Antwane Tyler to its roster.
Farber’s Statement
“We started VERSION III because we wanted to build the kind of company we would have wanted to work with if we were artists. The goal has always been to create a transparent partnership where we’re willing to take risks, think differently, and develop artists for the long term. After building this company while working full-time at Warner Records, I’m incredibly excited to give VERSION III my full attention. I’m so grateful for my experience being at Warner Records. The leaders, colleagues, and artists all contributed to preparing me for this chapter.”
