Analyst, Artist and Participations Audit Group

Full Time Job
Department Description:
• The U.S. Recorded Music Rights Administration Division (“RMRA”) is an internal client services organization that consists of four main departments: Artist Royalties & Administration, Licensing & Rights Administration, Publishing Royalties & Administration, and Legal Affairs. RMRA’s primary clients are WMG’s U.S. record labels.
• The Legal Affairs Department consists of three main groups: Artist & Participations Audits, Third Party Inquiries, and Rights Enforcement and Claims.
• The Artist and Participations Audits Group (or “Audit Group”) is responsible for managing all aspects of the audits of WMG’s books and records brought on behalf of artists signed to any of the US record labels owned and/or affiliated with WMG and other third parties with whom any such labels are parties to so-called “participations” deals (e.g., joint ventures, profit splits, pressing and distribution agreements), music publishers and their administrators, and unions who represent the performers and musicians who contribute toward the creation of WMG’s sound recordings.
• The Rights Enforcement and Claims Group (or “Enforcement Group”) is responsible for identifying and pursuing third party infringements of repertoire owned or controlled by the various WMG-owned and affiliated record labels.
• The Third Party Inquiries Group (or “Inquiries Group”) is responsible for fielding and resolving the inquiries WMG receives from its recording artists, producers and other payees.

High Level Job Description: The responsibilities of the candidate hired to fill this position will include gathering the data and other information from the relevant WMG label’s books and records that will be made available to the auditors in question during their fieldwork for each audit, and assisting senior members of the Audit Group with the review of incoming audit reports, the analysis of those reports, the development of our responses to those audits, and other tasks related to the overall management of the audit process.

Detailed Job Description/ Responsibilities: The responsibilities of the candidate hired to fill this position will include assisting the Group’s senior staff with the following:
• Tracking all audit notice letters received by the Group’s label clients; upon receipt of a given notice, determining (and then advise such label clients of) the maximum duration of the period the party in question is contractually permitted to audit, and then facilitating the negotiation of the actual period WMG will permit the party concerned to audit;
• Overseeing the audit fieldwork process, including, without limitation, by collecting all relevant data and other information contained in the books and records of the WMG label concerned that is relevant to (and falls within the contractually-defined scope) of the audit concerned;
• Reviewing and analyzing the audit claims submitted by the auditor in question, as well as the relevant provisions of the underlying artist, publisher and union contracts that govern WMG’s exploitation of the assets that is at issue in the audit;
• Developing recommendations for the WMG label client(s) concerned regarding how to respond to the audit claims in a given audit;
• Facilitating the settlement of each audit, on behalf of the WMG label client concerned; in close coordination with that label’s Business & Legal Affairs and Finance Departments;
• Administering any and all payments made in connection with the settlement of each audit, ensuring that each is properly recorded in the books and records of the applicable WMG label client(s);.and
• Performing such other duties as you may be asked to perform by the senior management of the Group and the division.

Required Competencies/Skills:
• Candidates for this position must be able to work well independently and as part of a team;
• Candidates must have strong computer skills, including strong data entry skills (with an emphasis on accuracy) and strong proficiency using Microsoft Office’s Excel, Word and PowerPoint applications; familiarity with Microsoft Office’s Access application is preferred, but not required.
• Candidate must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Candidate must possess excellent analytical, mathematical and organizational skills; and
• Candidate must be able to meet deadlines consistently and effectively while working under pressure; candidate must be able to manage multiple assignments at any given time and prioritize them effectively and appropriately.

Special Requirements/Preferences:
• Candidate should possess a minimum of 0 to 3 years’ experience working in a position or positions involving the external audit process for a record label [or other entertainment company.

Education Required/Preferred:
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; major in accounting, finance or business is preferred.

Our Company is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of age, sex, sexual orientation, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national Origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, familial status, military or veteran status, or any other legal recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.

Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws and the Company complies with all applicable reasonable accommodation requirements which such laws may require. Accordingly, please inform the Company’s Human Resources representative if you need an accommodation in order for you to complete any employment application-related forms or otherwise to participate in the application or selection process for the position for which you are applying. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity and will enable applicants to participate in the application and selection process and for employees to perform the essential functions of their jobs without imposing undue hardship on our Company. The Company also will make reasonable accommodations to an applicants or employee’s religious beliefs and practices as may be required by law, unless an undue hardship would result.