A little bit about our team:
The Digital Legal Affairs team is a part of WMG’s corporate legal department. The team is charged with negotiating and drafting WMG’s key global, multi-territory, and US digital deals in tandem with WMG’s Digital Strategy and Business Development team. The Digital Legal Affairs team also contributes to digital licensing policy and strategy and coordinates digital deal implementation.
This position reports directly to the Senior Vice President, Head of Digital Legal Affairs, and ultimately to the General Counsel. In addition to working with the rest of the Digital Legal Affairs team and the Digital Strategy and Business Development team on a day-to-day basis, the role involves regular communication with WMG’s labels, Warner Chappell Music, others in the corporate legal department and internal business units and constituencies (e.g., Digital Marketing, Finance, Reporting, Operations, Royalty Accounting, Litigation, Tax, etc.) on important topics raised by digital deals and developments.
Job description:
As Associate Counsel in Digital Legal Affairs, you will draft and negotiate complex and often first-of-kind digital music licensing deals (e.g., ad-supported streaming, subscription streaming, webcasting, social media platforms, apps using music, retail establishment music services, VR & AR, and other emerging technologies), support various aspects of the deal-making process, advise and execute on digital strategy, and brief WMG’s senior management on digital deals and developments. You will be required to function at the highest degree of precision, at a fast pace, in collaboration with a highly sophisticated in-house team of experts in their fields.
Here you’ll get to:
- Negotiate deals for the digital exploitation of audio and video music content, including with digital service providers, app developers, digital content aggregators, emerging tech companies, etc.
- Draft agreements and other documentation (e.g., summaries) as part of such deals and ensure compliance with contractual obligations
- Report on developments relating to specific deals and intellectual property law and policy to WMG’s senior management, including the General Counsel and other C-suite executives, as well as to various WMG business units, including the Legal & Business Affairs departments of WMG’s labels and Warner Chappell Music
- Contribute to internal discussions on new digital strategy and policies relating to developments in business and the law, as well lead in authoring and enforcing the resulting policies
- Manage and respond to inquiries from WMG business units and international affiliates on matters related to WMG digital deals, digital policies, and a host of related issues/matters
Rockstar candidates will have:
Required Education/Experience:
- Four to eight years of relevant transactional legal experience
- At least two years of direct work experience negotiating digital distribution transactions in-house at a music company (in a recorded music or music publishing division), media company or technology company licensing music or other content, or at a law firm
- J.D. and active license to practice law in New York State
Required Competencies and Skills:
- Understanding of and experience with content licensing, digital media and intellectual property law
- Strong negotiation skills and experience (in particular, the ability to lead and manage negotiations with a multiplicity of parts), as well as strong analytical and organizational skills
- Refined and well-practiced drafting skills (in particular, the ability to develop creative solutions in areas with evolving legal guidance)
- Strong interpersonal skills and business acumen
- Attention to detail and the ability to manage a high-volume workload efficiently and smoothly
- Strong familiarity with new technology developments and related legal issues
It would be music to our ears if you also had:
- A passion for the intersection of music, business, law, and technology
- Familiarity with the recorded music and music publishing industries, as well as related legal issues and recent developments
- Experience with privacy and data protections laws, consumer privacy counseling, and the privacy and data protection aspects of commercial negotiations
