Resilient Music LLP is looking for a UK based non-exclusive sync licensing / business affairs consultant to start in March 2022. This will be on a fixed term retained basis working remotely, rather than as an employee based in a company office. We encourage our consultants to have other non-competitive clients as part of their freelance life. This opportunity will suit either an existing freelancer, preferably with their own limited company, or someone looking to leave the corporate world for a more flexible lifestyle. This is not a role you can perform as a side-hustle alongside an existing employed position.
Background
Resilient Music LLP is an independent music rights consultancy specialising in the brokering of sync licences and composer/artist engagement agreements for brand marketing communications. Resilient’s founding partner is Richard Kirstein, author of Music Rights Without Fights.
Resilient’s sole focus is to help brands buy music smarter. We are not a conventional music supervisor focused on creative input for ad agencies. Instead, we leverage our procurement and business affairs skills to help advertisers secure optimal commercial deal terms. Our point of difference is obsessive attention to detail and due diligence discipline in an area where it’s frequently lacking. We are also deeply passionate about educating our brand clients on music rights and the need to follow correct procedures and protocols.
Resilient has always operated a remote team of experienced freelance consultants. We’ve never had an office and so were well-prepared when the pandemic hit in 2020. Since then, the business has grown with new client wins so we need to increase our team resource.
Resilient’s advertiser clients are in the luxury, gaming/gambling, alcoholic beverage, automotive and financial services sectors. We also collaborate closely with leading marketing procurement and production consultancies both in the UK and US.
The Role
This is not a creative role. You won’t be searching for tracks nor artists.
In contrast, it’s purely a commercial/business role, though you will need to leverage creative deal-making and robust negotiation skills.
There are two key areas, acting for advertisers or occasionally ad agencies:
Brokering sync licence deals
- Commercial negotiation of usage terms and licence fees, typically with labels and publishers
- Long form licence contract negotiation, using licensors’ or clients’ templates
- Performers union clearances
Brokering engagement agreements
- Contract drafting/negotiation including detailed T&Cs, typically with composers, music production companies, artists, orchestras, musicians or any other music-related talent.
Tasks will include:
- Being on-call for rapid response to client briefs
- Analysing client briefs
- Research into selected talent and/or music titles & reporting on issues that may impact on clearance
- Preparation of offers to music rights owners and/or talent representatives
- Negotiation of commercial terms through to agreed deal memo stage
- Negotiation of long form sync licences
- Drafting and negotiation of engagement agreements
- Securing performers union clearances
- Liaison with vendors on vendor set-up and invoicing
Required Attributes
- Obsessive attention to detail
- Strong forensic research skills
- Robust negotiation skills
- Strong client account management skills combined with diplomacy
- Ability to remain calm & focused while performing complex tasks under intense time pressure
- Strong relationships with senior sync licensing staff at UK major and independent publishers & labels
- A deep respect for copyright and dedication to acting with integrity at all times
- A strong interest in the advertising market and the role of music within brand communications
- Great problem solving skills
- Happy to work remotely, reporting directly to clients, though with some supervision
- Commitment to agreed processes & IT systems
Required Experience
This is not a role for a junior person looking to progress their career through training.
The ideal candidate will be:
- A seasoned sync licensing and business affairs executive with at least 15 years’ experience in the UK market
- A tough negotiator, with detailed knowledge of sync licensing and music talent engagement
- Very familiar with the advertising market, both in the UK and US
- Looking for a new challenge, working with global brand advertisers, helping them buy music smarter
- Based in the UK
The ideal candidate will have had:
- Past roles within a music publisher or record label sync team, focused on the advertising market
- Past roles within an ad agency music dept. and/or independent sync agency/music supervision company
- Past roles as a paralegal, being adapt at contract drafting and negotiation
Contact
Applicants should send a CV and covering letter to:
Richard Kirstein
richard@resilientmusic.com
https://resilientmusic.com/