Manager, Legal & Business Affairs

Anotherland•Nashville, TN

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

ANOTHERLAND is a creative community in music and marketing, with offices in Los Angeles and Nashville. It provides record label, music publishing, and agency services for artists, songwriters, and brands. The Legal & Business Affairs Manager serves as in-house counsel primarily for the label and publishing businesses. The role drafts and negotiates recorded music and publishing agreements, advises the business on contractual and legal obligations, supports corporate work and catalog acquisitions, and manages outside counsel on specialist matters. The position reports to the Head of Label Services. The role is based in Nashville, Tennessee; Costa Mesa, California; or Los Angeles, California. It is hybrid, with remote arrangements potentially considered for the right candidate.

Requirements

J.D. and active membership in good standing of at least one U.S. state bar; eligibility to register as in-house counsel in California or Tennessee.
At least 4 years of music or entertainment transactional experience at a law firm or in-house at a record label, publisher, or distributor, covering both recorded music and publishing agreements.
In-depth knowledge of music deal structures, including recoupment, cross-collateralization, option and reversion provisions, and royalty accounting.
Working knowledge of copyright law as it applies to sound recordings and musical compositions.
Experience negotiating directly with business and legal affairs teams of major labels and publishers.
Strong drafting, negotiation, organizational, and communication skills.
Ability to independently manage a high volume of agreements.
Ability to provide clear recommendations and see matters through to execution.
No outside legal practice or client conflicts.

Nice To Haves

Experience with joint venture, profit-share, catalog acquisition, or corporate matters.
Experience with counterparties in the UK, Australia, or Canada.
Experience with AI-assisted drafting and review tools.
Familiarity with the Christian and gospel music market.

Responsibilities

Draft and negotiate recorded music agreements, including exclusive recording, license, distribution, profit-share, and third-party agreements with artists, producers, and mixers.
Draft and negotiate music publishing agreements, including co-publishing, administration, and songwriter agreements.
Negotiate label and side-artist waivers, distribution and label-services agreements, and joint venture arrangements with major labels, publishers, and distributors.
Advise on option exercises, renewals, and terminations, and prepare and review related notices.
Standardize terms, notice provisions, and accounting clauses across existing agreements; maintain agreement templates, a clause library, and technology-assisted processes.
Prepare and review sync, LOD, NDA, contractor, and vendor agreements.
Advise A&R, Publishing, Rights Management, and Finance on contractual obligations, legal risk, and the royalty and accounting consequences of deal terms.
Assess risks, recommend courses of action, and obtain management approval on key business terms.
Manage relationships with representatives of artists, songwriters, and counterparties.
Support corporate legal work, including company structure, entity formation and maintenance, operating agreements, resolutions and consents, and intercompany agreements.
Prepare and manage corporate filings, annual reports, and registrations; maintain corporate records and track regulatory compliance.
Support catalog acquisitions from letter of intent through closing, including legal due diligence on chain of title, underlying agreements, royalty obligations, and encumbrances, as well as drafting and negotiating purchase agreements and closing documents.
Coordinate post-closing transfer of acquired catalogs with Rights Management and Finance, including assignments, copyright recordations, letters of direction, and notices to payees and counterparties.
Engage and manage outside counsel on specialist matters, including financing, tax, litigation, audits, disputes, and trademarks, as well as larger corporate and catalog transactions.