Director of Music Affairs

This is a Full Time Job

Director, Music Affairs

Company Description

Job Description

Based in Los Angeles or New York, this role is ideal for an experienced music executive, who thrives in a fast-moving environment and is excited to roll up their sleeves, solve novel challenges, lead a team, and have a seat at the table. At its core, the role will oversee music matters across Versant's businesses, including building internal policies, scaling processes, negotiating music clearance and library agreements, creating new ways to exploit owned music, and servicing Versant's business units with their music needs. This role reports to the SVP, IP & Music.

Responsibilities:
• Establish and implement strategy for clearing, licensing, and exploiting music across the Versant enterprise.
• Manage and mentor a small team of music professionals, investing in their development and building a culture that values learning, accountability, and shared success.
• Draft, negotiate, review, track a wide array of music agreements including work-for-hire agreements, record label and music publishing waivers, sync and master agreements, and long form blanket agreements ranging from production music libraries to composer deals, AV licenses, and similar documents.
• Assess copyright risk and advise content creators on music usage and licensing implications, fair use, ephemeral use, parody, and union issues.
• Create processes that scale for the tracking and payment for applicable music uses across the Versant enterprise, including cue sheet automation.
• Conduct client and staff trainings in the areas of music, copyright, cue sheets, and general business processes
• Administer and/or oversee the administration of the company-owned music catalogue, including maintaining all databases of musical assets and administering internal or external use of such assets.
• Use data-infused strategies to grow Versant's music revenue while driving down its costs.
• Partner with senior business executives, as well as colleagues in the Legal Department, to discuss and implement best practices and formulate new processes in connection with business needs.

Qualifications
• 9 years of music business and legal experience, preferably in-house.
• Mastery over the economics, relationships, and practicalities of licensing and composing music for use in television, marketing and digital businesses.
• Deep knowledge of and relationships within the music industry.
• Tech-savvy, with knowledge of cutting-edge databases, AI, and software that can create efficiency in music workflows, including Trevanna and SoundMouse.
• Highly motivated and reliable self-starter with strong track record of prioritization and successful project execution.
• Excellent and pragmatic business judgment that considers non-legal factors.
• Ability to set clear team priorities that are tightly aligned with business goals, and drive the team to deliver strong results.

Desired Characteristics
• Track record of successfully managing music professionals, including leading with candor, inclusivity, and a strong commitment to developing and elevating team members.
• Ability to see around the corners, and experience evaluating risk with imperfect information and have the confidence to make quick decisions.

Additional Requirements:
• We're moving fast and encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Additional Information

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with a VERSANT Media employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to [email protected].

VERSANT Media is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at VERSANT via-email, the Internet, or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from VERSANT's Talent Acquisition team will be deemed the sole property of VERSANT. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by VERSANT as a result of the referral or through other means.