Director, Business & Legal Affairs

This is a Full Time Job

With a legacy extending back over 200 years, Warner Music Group (WMG) today brings together artists, songwriters and entrepreneurs that are moving entertainment culture across the globe. Operating in more than 70 countries through a network of affiliates and licensees, WMG's Recorded Music division includes renowned labels such as Asylum, Atlantic, Big Beat, Canvasback, Elektra, Erato, First Night, Fueled by Ramen, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Sire, Spinnin', Warner Records, Warner Classics and Warner Music Nashville. WMG's music publishing arm, Warner Chappell Music, has a catalog of more than 1.4 million musical compositions spanning every musical genre, from the standards of the Great American Songbook to the biggest hits of the 21st century. Warner Music Group is also home to WEA (Warner-Elektra-Atlantic), the pioneering distribution and marketing network, and ADA, the independent artist and label services company, as well as consumer brands such as Songkick the live music app, EMP the merchandise e-tailer, and UPROXX the youth culture destination.

A little bit about our team: The Business & Legal Affairs department provides global business and legal support to Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA), which offers distribution, sales and frontline label services to a wide variety of third party record labels and artists; Asylum Records (a relaunch of the iconic frontline record label founded in 1971 by David Geffen); and Level Music (a new, proprietary music distribution platform).

Why this could be your next big break: This is a truly unique and highly coveted position to perform business and legal affairs efforts for several lines of businesses within the ADA umbrella which sits within Warner Music Group, a home to a collection of the best-known labels in the music industry, as well as one of the world's leading music publishers. You will have the opportunity to help craft our strategy and play a key role in fast-paced artist and distribution deals, as well as acquisitions, JVs, equity investments, new technologies and strategic partnerships.

Here you'll get to:
• Negotiate and draft agreements for the various divisions, including, but not limited to, recording agreements (royalty and profit split deals), distribution agreements, license agreements, video production agreements, intellectual property acquisition agreements, joint venture agreements, merchandise agreements, soundtrack agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and termination and settlement agreements;
• Negotiate and draft ancillary agreements for new business initiatives associated with the ADA business;
• Assist with refining template agreements across all business units;
• Assist with providing guidance and strategic advice to senior management toward developing and executing strategies and business plans;
• Interpret, advise and answer questions on complicated contractual provisions;
• Provide ongoing legal advice both within the ADA umbrella and across other Warner departments;
• Work closely with contract administrators and paralegals to ensure that agreements are accurately summarized and communicated to the operations' teams, accountings and payments are timely executed, and clearances are obtained prior to record releases;
• Review label copy, videos, artwork and other materials to analyze and assess potential risks to minimize legal exposure; and
• Participate in the development, implementation, and compliance with the various divisions' contract-related policies and procedures.

Rockstar candidates will be able to:
• Refined and well-practiced drafting skills, with a strong attention to detail, and experience creating legal templates;
• Robust negotiation skills (in particular, the ability to manage negotiations with outside counsel, in-house counsel, label heads, and tech startups);
• The ability to work independently with minimal oversight, and to think outside the box;
• Strong in