Manager, Music Rights

NBCUniversal • Universal City, CA

2d • $75,000 - $95,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The NBCUniversal Music Business & Legal Affairs team oversees music matters across all NBCUniversal businesses, including Filmed Entertainment, Media, Sports, News and Destinations & Experiences. The Manager, Music Rights will be responsible for managing the operations and administrative services related to comprehensive music clearance and licensing functions for NBCUniversal. This includes television programming across Universal Television Entertainment, encompassing Universal Studios Group (USG), NBC Entertainment, Bravo and Peacock. This position does not include any music creative or music supervision responsibilities, such as consulting on music placement in productions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or comparable work experience
• 4+ years of music licensing and/or clearance experience or related field

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge and understanding of copyright rules related to the music industry
• Diversified knowledge of contemporary music as well as classical music catalogs and their applicable publishing companies and record labels
• Established relationships with and experience clearing and licensing music from major publishing companies, record labels and music libraries, along with other channels such as independent companies, management, attorneys and agents
• Tech-savvy, with a strong sense of how cloud-based documents, databases and other systems are used in a modern business environment, including familiarity with Microsoft 365, contract management systems, payment and vendor setup tools, and music clearance and cue sheet systems such as Qwire, SynchTank and SoundMouse
• Highly motivated self-starter with a strong track record of successful project execution
• Ability to effectively manage multiple clients with competing deadlines and business priorities
• Outstanding analytic and organizational skills, including excellent drafting and negotiation skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; experience communicating with various audiences and levels of management with strong client support and service orientation
• Experience managing or mentoring junior staff is a plus

Responsibilities

• Draft, negotiate, review and track music licenses and other music agreements as needed
• Partner with Business & Legal Affairs to help advise clients on intellectual property issues, copyright infringement, clearance, rights-related and regulatory issues, public domain analyses, union issues, performing rights, strategy, risk analysis and other matters arising from programming
• Interact with various departments on budgeting, invoices, payroll, union obligations and deliverables
• Review and process quote requests, pick-up letters, master use and synchronization licenses, payments, vendor set-ups and other music licensing-related matters across different productions
• Research music for all details relating to clearance and tracking; including publishers, record labels, performing rights societies and types of usage
• Review and clear music use in programming to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory standards
• Collaborate across all NBCU platforms in the development and implementation of technological solutions to best serve internal clients
• Maintain tracking grids, cost charts, databases and other systems for all music usage, licensing and related needs across NBCUniversal
• Review, analyze, revise and submit cue sheets
• Administer union inquiries associated with licensed music (e.g., AFM, SAG-AFTRA) and generate reports
• Communicate and maintain relationships with internal partners, publishers, labels, music libraries and other vendors
• Partner with clients and colleagues to implement best practices and formulate new processes
• Perform other related duties and special projects as assigned

Benefits

• This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other discounts and perks.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager