Senior Legal & Business Affairs Manager
About this role
Music is Universal
It’s the passionate and dedicated team at Universal Music who help make us the world’s leading music company. From A&R to finance, legal to digital, sales to marketing, Universal Music is the place to grow and develop your career within a truly commercial and innovative business that leads in everything it does.
Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, age, marital status, background, pregnancy, or caring responsibilities. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought within our teams and are fully committed to embracing the talents of people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other forms of neurocognitive variation.
We will always seek to make appropriate adjustments to recruitment, workplaces, and work processes to be fully inclusive to people with different needs and working styles. If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments for you from application onwards, including alternatives to the online form or to disclose a neurocognitive condition, please email UniversalMusicCareers@umusic.com.
About Us – Legal & Business Affairs
The Label Legal Team (part of the broader Legal & Business Affairs team) provides legal and business affairs support to all Universal Music UK labels, including the Polydor Label Group, Island EMI Label Group, Fontana and Decca Records. The team works closely with label executives and commercial teams to deliver practical legal advice that supports the development of artists, brands and commercial opportunities across the business.
The Role
This role is responsible for providing a full range of legal and business affairs support to Universal Music UK's labels in relation to artist and brand merchandise, retail partnerships and e-commerce activities. Working closely with internal stakeholders and external partners, you will negotiate and draft a broad range of commercial agreements while providing pragmatic legal advice that supports the growth of our merchandising business.
Key Responsibilities
Drafting, negotiating and advising on agreements relating to:
Artist merchandise agreements, including new deals, renewals and extensions.
Brand licence agreements and strategic brand partnerships.
Retail and e-commerce agreements with commercial partners.
Venue merchandise agreements.
Pop-up store agreements and associated commercial arrangements.
Other merchandise and e-commerce related agreements as required.
Overseeing and administering:
Legal deal approvals and internal sign-off processes.
Option diaries and key contractual deadlines.
Rights management systems and related documentation.
Litigation matters, including liaising with external counsel where appropriate.
Day-to-day legal support for merchandise and e-commerce projects across the labels.
Skills, Experience, Qualifications and Behaviours Required
Qualified Solicitor in England & Wales.
Minimum of 2 years' post-qualification experience, ideally gained within music, media or entertainment law.
Experience drafting and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements.
Strong commercial awareness and the ability to provide practical, business-focused legal advice.
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple matters simultaneously.
A proactive, self-sufficient approach with strong attention to detail.
A collaborative team player with excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Why Join Us?
A varied and challenging role working across high-profile artist, merchandise and e-commerce projects.
The opportunity to work alongside a talented, collaborative and dynamic Legal & Business Affairs team.
Close involvement with the commercial activities of Universal Music UK's labels.
Exposure to an exciting, innovative and fast-moving industry where no two days are the same.
About UMG UK
We are Universal Music Group UK – the UK’s leading music-based entertainment company. We exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. We help UK artists produce, distribute and promote the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music to inspire and entertain fans at home and around the world.
Bonus Tracks: Your Benefits
Group Personal Pension Scheme (between 3% and 9%)
Private Medical Insurance
25 paid days of annual leave
Interest Free Season Ticket Loan
Holiday Purchase scheme
Dental and Travel Insurance options
Cycle to Work Scheme
Salary Sacrifice Cars
Subsidised Gym Membership
Employee Discounts (Reward Gateway)
Just So You Know…
The company presents this job description as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the jobholder is accountable. However, the business operates in an environment that demands change and the jobholder's specific responsibilities and activities will vary and develop. Therefore, the job description should be seen as indicative and not as a permanent, definitive, and exhaustive statement.
Job Category:
Business & Legal AffairsCompany at a glance
Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans.
Universal Music Group's labels include A&M Records, Astralwerks, Blue Note Records, Capitol Christian Music Group, Capitol Records, Capitol Records Nashville, Caroline, Decca, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, EMI Records Nashville, Fonovisa, Geffen Records, Harvest, Interscope Records, Island Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Motown Records, Polydor Records, Republic Records, Universal Music Latino, Verve Label Group, Virgin Records, Virgin EMI Records, as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. UMG's catalog is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.).
UMG also includes Universal Music Publishing Group, one of the industry's premier music publishing operations worldwide and Bravado, the leading provider of consumer, lifestyle and branding services to recording artists and entertainment brands around the world. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company.
Find out more at: http://www.universalmusic.com.
View our current career opportunities at: http://www.umusiccareers.com
Top Benefits
- Group Personal Pension Scheme
- Private Medical Insurance
- 25 days of annual leave
- Interest Free Season Ticket Loan
- Holiday Purchase scheme
- Dental Insurance
- Travel Insurance
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Salary Sacrifice Cars
- Subsidised Gym Membership
- Employee Discounts
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