Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs

Full Time Job
WMG's top priority is the safety and wellbeing of its team members, artists and songwriters across the globe. In response to COVID-19, WMG is fully committed to helping its people balance their home and life commitments with flexible working options, virtual wellness sessions, and more. WMG strives to maintain a COVID-free workplace. To that end, being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is a condition of employment for all US new employees, prior to the commencement of employment. If you are hired, you will be required to provide proof of your vaccination as part of your new employee onboarding process, subject to our legal obligation to make reasonable accommodations in certain limited circumstances.

Job Description:

At Warner Music Group, we're a global collective of music makers and music lovers, tech innovators and inspired entrepreneurs, game-changing creatives and passionate team members. Here, we know that each talent makes our collective bolder and brighter. We are guided by four core principles that underpin everything we do across all our diverse businesses:
• Music is Everything: Music is our passion, and we can never get enough. Tastes, trends, and tech will change, but great artists and songwriters will always be our driving force.
• Global Growth, Local Expertise: Music is a global language. Through communication and collaboration, our success can come from anywhere and translate everywhere.
• Innovation and Insight: Pushing the boundaries requires the best information and the boldest imagination. We use both to create the future.
• Empowered by People: Like the artists we serve and the music they make, our differences make us stronger. This is a place where every talent can belong and build a career.

We remain committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We know it fosters a culture where you can truly belong, contribute, and grow. We encourage applications from people of any age, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, and any other characteristic or identity.

Consider a career at WMG and get the best of both worlds – an innovative global music company that retains the creative spirit of a nimble independent.

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).

Your role:

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, non-disclosure agreements, and termination and settlement agreements;
• Negotiate and draft ancillary agreements for new business initiatives associated with the ADA business;
• Refine template agreements across all business units;
• Provide 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.

About you:
• 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 interpersonal skills to successfully interface with senior management on day-to-day business regarding legal issues and strategies;
• The proficiency necessary to handle a fast paced environment while still paying close attention to detail and issue spotting;
• The ability to remember and recall details of multiple projects on request; and
• Strong business decision making skills, and legal acumen.

We'd love it if you also had:
• J.D. with at least 5+ years of transactional legal experience in an entertainment company or related law practice. At least 6+ years of law firm experience is strongly preferred.
• Extensive drafting experience.
• Candidates must be in good standing in New York.

About us:

As the home to Asylum, Atlantic, East West, Elektra, FFRR, Fueled by Ramen, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Rhino, Roadrunner, Sire, Warner Records, Warner Classics, and several other of the world's premier recording labels, Warner Music Group champions emerging artists and global superstars alike. And our renowned publishing company, Warner Chappell Music, represents genre-spanning songwriters and producers through a catalogue of more than one million copyrights worldwide. Redefining what it means to be a music company in the 21st century, our consumer brands include trend-setters like UPROXX, Songkick, HipHopDX, and EMP. We're the home to WMX – the next generation services division that connects artists with fans and amplifies brands in creative, immersive, and engaging ways – and Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) – the ground-breaking global distribution company for independent artists and labels.

Together, we are Warner Music Group: Music With Vision & Voice.

Love this job and want to apply?

Click the ''Apply'' link at the top of the page, or apply directly with your LinkedIn. Applying with LinkedIn will import all of the information you put in your profile, but will still allow you to upload a resume and cover letter.

Don't be discouraged if you don't hear from us right away. We're taking our time to review all resumes, and to find the best people for WMG.

Thanks for your interest in working for WMG. We love it here, and think you will, too.

WMG is committed to inclusion and diversity in all aspects of our business. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and will evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, religious creed, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, marital status, medical condition as defined by state law (genetic characteristics or cancer), physical or mental disability, military service or veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

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