Music Rights & Metadata Research Analyst

Penbrothers

13d•Remote

About The Position

Penbrothers is seeking an Outsourced Research Analyst for a project-based role with an audio streaming platform client. This role involves quarterly research to identify record labels and major label groups that own the music being streamed. The platform uses this data to generate a statistically accurate picture of label usage for direct reporting to rights holders. The analyst will work on project-based batches with varying sample volumes, conducting independent desk research through a dedicated web dashboard. Performance will be evaluated based on the number of samples completed per hour and the accuracy of findings.

Requirements

Strong written English skills.
Confident, self-directed web research capabilities.
Ability to work independently via a web dashboard with minimal supervision.
Google Chrome browser.
Shazam Chrome extension.
Spotify and/or Apple Music account (strongly recommended).
A platform user account (enabled by the client).

Nice To Haves

Broad familiarity with genres like electronic, house, disco, hip-hop, and world music.

Responsibilities

Listen to 30-second audio clips and identify the main artist and track title using tools like Shazam, Gracenote audio fingerprints, user tracklists, Spotify, or Apple Music.
Locate the record label or distributor responsible for the track using credits on Spotify, Apple Music, Discogs, Wikipedia, or Beatport.
Trace parent company ownership (e.g., Universal, Sony, Warner, Merlin, The Orchard, or Believe/TuneCore) by researching sub-labels, acquisition histories, and distribution channels.
Log result categories (including edge cases like "talk/no music" or "cannot identify") along with mandatory source citations for quality audit purposes.
Flag unresolved samples as "cannot identify" rather than guessing, ensuring inaccurate label data is avoided.