Licensing & Rights Administration Manager

The Licensing & Rights Administration Manager is a brand new opportunity that has been created at AWAL. This role will primarily be focused on dealing with external partners globally for AWAL and our roster, and it will also be liaising with certain centralised Sony Music Entertainment teams regularly. This role does not include synchronisation license work. Our team is a passionate, supportive, fun, innovative group of people. Collectively we meet in the office on Monday – Thursday’s. Fridays are typically spent working remotely from home. Join us in shaping the future of the music industry.

What you'll do:

• Reviewing license/waiver/talent release requests, and negotiating and executing associated paperwork (including on third party forms) for a variety of marketing and promotional activations (e.g. TV/radio broadcasts, recorded performances (including festival and award shows), DSP sessions, etc) - working closely with AWAL’s Marketing and General Commercial Partnership teams.
• Acting as AWAL’s internal and artist approval liaison for all sample and compilation license-out requests connected to our roster, and working with relevant Sony Music Entertainment teams to secure execution.
• Negotiating and executing territorial licenses and third party licensing opportunities.
• Reviewing licensing opportunities, legacy set ups and engineering best practices.
• Assisting with external and internal audit enquiries where necessary.
• Picking up and managing licensing elements of wider deals (e.g. events) and new revenue stream arrangements (e.g. AI, D2C, etc) that AWAL’s Business Affairs team may from time to time require assistance with.
• Being able to effectively navigate and explain (to our creative teams) AWAL’s policy on exclusives and promotions, and working closely with Sony Music Entertainment’s licensing and business affairs administration teams as and when required for consistency and good practice.
• Initially collaborating with Business Affairs, Finance and Client Administration/Royalties to review and revise existing internal processes for license-ingestion, tracking and credit control, and subsequently owning and refining such processes and information-flow when required (including maintaining the administration and management of the Business Affairs database of all licenses with various third parties).
• Working with various AWAL and Sony Music Entertainment systems and applications to deliver critical information to the rest of the business.
• Other administrative tasks that do not fall directly within the remit of the Business Affairs team but are adjacent to their work.

Who you are:

• Solid music licensing background with good experience in reviewing, negotiating and drafting associated agreements (including amending pro-formas). Candidates will have ideally worked in music licensing at one of the major or large indie record labels, well-known talent agencies or management stables.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to multitask and prioritise effectively and in an organised manner.
• Ability to work well in a collaborative, team-oriented environment.
• Strong and considered etiquette with artist management teams.
• Self-motivated/works independently.
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, Google Workspace, etc.
• Detail oriented, timely and accurate.

What we give you:

• You join a vibrant global community with the opportunity to channel your passion every day.
• A modern office environment designed for you, empowering you to bring your best.
• Investment in your professional growth and development enabling you to thrive in our vibrant community.
• The space to accelerate progress, positively disrupt and create what happens next.
• We give you the platform to champion positive change, with the opportunity to contribute to our social impact, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
• We provide an excellent range of benefits like private medical cover, a generous pension scheme, life assurance, income protection, plus loads of music industry perks.
• There’s also time off over winter break.

As an active part of a culturally and socially diverse society, Sony Music’s aim is that our workforce is diverse and inclusive. Sony Music is an equal opportunity employer and supports workforce diversity. We employ, retain, promote and otherwise treat all employees and job applicants according to their merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We apply this policy without regard to any individual’s sex, race, religion, origin, age, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition or disability.