Manager, Artist Agreements & Clearances

Overview

This role supports production and distribution by securing and managing artist agreements, releases, and content clearances across the organization and its affiliates. You will serve as a key liaison between internal stakeholders, artists, managers, labels, publishers, and legal teams, supporting events, series, exhibits, GRAMMY Studios programming, and other organizational objectives.

Responsibilities

Artist Releases & Agreements

• Draft, negotiate, execute, and manage artist agreements and releases across all productions, ensuring timely execution for live and pre-recorded content.
• Maintain organized records of all agreements, including rights granted, restrictions, and obligations.
• Partner with internal stakeholders so content usage plans and artist negotiations are accurately reflected in contractual terms.

Sync and Misc. Clearances

• Secure synchronization rights and related clearances for music and content use across all platforms.
• Coordinate with record labels, publishers, PROs, and other rights holders to obtain necessary licenses.
• Track and manage rights by territory, media, term, and usage to ensure compliance.
• Oversee the license lifecycle, including payments, amendments, extensions, expirations, and archiving.
• Troubleshoot and resolve clearance issues under tight production timelines.
• Support additional clearance needs, including artwork, likeness, podcast, and other media usage.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with internal stakeholders early to assess and address clearance, release, and agreement needs.
• Act as a primary point of contact for artist-related contractual and clearance matters.
• Communicate requirements, risks, and timelines clearly to internal and external stakeholders.

Process & Systems Management

• Refine workflows for outreach, negotiations, contract execution, and rights tracking.
• Maintain and improve systems for documenting, tracking, and reporting rights and permissions.
• Keep standardized clearance process resources current and accessible.
• Identify opportunities to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and mitigate risk.

Risk Management & Compliance

• Ensure content is cleared prior to distribution across all platforms.
• Flag risks and escalate issues appropriately.
• Stay current on music rights, licensing practices, and industry standards.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• 5+ years’ experience in music business affairs, content clearance, and music publishing.
• Paralegal experience and/or the ability to draft and review content licensing agreements and negotiate terms, including knowledge of how smaller negotiations affect big-picture relationships.
• Established relationships with record labels, music publishers, and artist management.
• Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, and comprehensive follow-through.
• Flexibility to succeed in a fast-paced production environment with tight deadlines.
• Ability to manage multiple projects proactively and independently while providing cross-company support.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency in Spanish and/or Portuguese preferred.

Physical Demands for Certain Roles

• Occasionally required to stand, walk, and sit for long periods of time.
• Work at a computer for long periods of time.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Compensation & Benefits

• Starting salary: $64,400 to $70,800 per year, benchmarked against industry standards.
• Actual offer depends on candidate experience, qualifications, and role requirements.
• Positions working 20+ hours per week receive a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401k match, generous paid time off, and more.

Equal Opportunity

The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees and does not discriminate on the basis of race (including traits historically associated with race), color, religion (including religious dress and grooming), creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), national origin, ancestry, age, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Reasonable accommodations are provided for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in undue hardship.