Associate Counsel, Digital Legal Affairs

Warner Music Group • New York, NY

67d • $160,000 - $200,000 • Onsite

About The Position

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 turn dreams into stardom and audiences into fans. We are guided by three core values that underpin everything we do across all our diverse businesses: ● Curiosity: We do our best work when we’re immersing ourselves in culture and breaking through barriers. Curiosity is the driving force behind creativity and ingenuity. It fuels innovation, and innovation is the key to our future. ● Collaboration: Making music and bringing it to the world is all about the power of originality amplified by teamwork. A great idea, like a great song, travels globally. We ignite passions and build connections across our diverse community of artists, songwriters, partners, and fans. ● Commitment: We pursue excellence for our team and our talent. Everything in music starts with a leap into the unknown, and we’re committed to keeping the faith, acting with integrity, and delivering on our promises. WMG is home to a wide range of artists, musicians, and songwriters that fuel our success. That is why we are committed to creating a work environment that actively values, appreciates, and respects everyone. We encourage applications from people with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. 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 Digital Legal Affairs team is a part of WMG’s corporate legal department. The team is charged with negotiating and drafting WMG’s key global, multi-territory, and US digital deals in tandem with WMG’s Digital Strategy and Business Development team. The Digital Legal Affairs team also contributes to digital licensing policy and strategy and coordinates digital deal implementation. This position reports directly to the Senior Vice President, Head of Digital Legal Affairs, and ultimately to the General Counsel. In addition to working with the rest of the Digital Legal Affairs team and the Digital Strategy and Business Development team on a day-to-day basis, the role involves regular communication with WMG’s labels, Warner Chappell Music, others in the corporate legal department and internal business units and constituencies (e.g., Digital Marketing, Finance, Reporting, Operations, Royalty Accounting, Litigation, Tax, etc.) on important topics raised by digital deals and developments. Your role: As Associate Counsel in Digital Legal Affairs, you will draft and negotiate complex and often first-of-kind digital music licensing deals (e.g., subscription streaming, ad-supported streaming, webcasting, social media platforms, services at the intersection of music and AI, gaming, fitness, VR & AR, and other emerging technologies), support various aspects of the deal-making process, advise and execute on digital strategy, and brief WMG’s senior management on digital deals and developments. You will be required to function, at a fast pace, in collaboration with a highly sophisticated in-house team of experts in their fields.

Requirements

• Four to eight years of relevant transactional legal experience
• At least two years of direct work experience negotiating digital distribution transactions in-house at a music company (in a recorded music or music publishing division), media company or technology company licensing music or other content, or at a law firm
• J.D. and active license to practice law in New York State
• Understanding of and experience with content licensing, digital media and intellectual property law and the legal implications of AI
• Strong negotiation skills and experience (in particular, the ability to lead and manage negotiations with a multiplicity of parts), as well as strong analytical and organizational skills
• Refined and well-practiced drafting skills (in particular, the ability to develop and draft legal provisions that address creative solutions in areas with evolving legal guidance)
• Strong interpersonal skills and business acumen
• Attention to detail and the ability to manage a high-volume workload efficiently and smoothly
• Strong familiarity with new technology developments, including AI, and related legal issues

Nice To Haves

• A passion for the intersection of music, business, law, and technology
• Familiarity with the recorded music and music publishing industries, as well as related legal issues and recent developments
• Particular experience and background in commercial negotiations and counseling with respect to AI and copyright

Responsibilities

• Negotiate deals for the digital exploitation of audio and video music content, including with digital service providers, social media platforms, app developers, digital content aggregators, emerging tech companies, and AI platforms
• Draft agreements and ancillary documentation (e.g., summaries, presentation decks) as part of such deals and provide advice to WMG business units to ensure compliance with contractual obligations
• Report on developments relating to specific deals and intellectual property law and policy to WMG’s senior management, including the General Counsel and other C-suite executives, as well as to various WMG business units, including the Legal & Business Affairs departments of WMG’s labels and Warner Chappell Music
• Contribute to internal discussions on new digital strategy and policies relating to developments in business and the law, including those related to AI, as well as lead in authoring and enforcing the resulting policies
• Manage and respond to inquiries from WMG business units and international affiliates on matters related to WMG digital deals, digital policies, and a host of related issues/matters

Benefits

• Salary Range $160,000 to $200,000 Annually
• Salary ranges are included for job postings where required by law.
• The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as work experience and business needs.
• The pay range is subject to change at any time dependent on a variety of internal and external factors.
• Warner Music Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree