Managing Director, UK Rights Companies

4 weeks ago

Greater London, United Kingdom Wise Music Group Full time
Job Description

BACKGROUND


Wise Music Group is a global independent music publisher. The Group maintains a global network of standalone offices including London, New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Madrid, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Copenhagen, Reykjavík, and Bergamo.


The Group’s publishing houses and imprints include some of the most famous names in the history of music including Chester Music, G. Schirmer, Associated Music Publishers, Novello & Co, Edition Peters Group, Éditions Alphonse Leduc, Première Music, Le Chant du Monde, Edition Wilhelm Hansen, Unión Musical Ediciones, Bosworth Music GmbH, and Campbell Connelly.


Wise Music Group owns or controls over half a million copyrights – including the world’s largest independent holding of historic and contemporary classical music – as well as an enormous range of popular songs spanning evergreen, jazz, reggae, blues, pop, and rock.


The Group is privately owned by one family over several generations and the UK office is situated in London’s West End.


CORE RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES


To maximise the copyright related income and profit of WMG UK music publishing companies (notably Chester and associated publishing companies such as Novello, Campbell Connelly, Sparta Florida, Noel Gay and Eaton Music as well as Edition Peters Group, UK) by maintaining and building attractive catalogues of new and established composers across all relevant musical genres; overseeing the exploitation of those catalogues and developing the overall profile of the companies so that both established composers and high potential new talent choose to be published by the company.


The Job-Holder must manage an integrated set of resources of WMG UK Rights Companies.


Core responsibilities include:

  • Strategy
  • Budget
  • Performance
  • Publishing decisions
  • Departmental oversight of the UK teams, including Promotion, Editorial, Hire, Creative and Income Tracking.


The Job-Holder has full management accountability for teams through subordinate managers. The focus is on performance management and the meeting of short and mid-term targets.


Key Accountabilities include:

  • Leading the development and implementation of the publishing policy of WMG UK publishing companies
  • Identifying opportunities and trends in the local and international marketplaces that inform the development of the catalogues, new acquisitions and promotional activities and focus
  • Collaborating with colleagues in identifying and then developing potential acquisitions of catalogues and companies, signings of new writers in all relevant musical genres and new target markets
  • Making authoritative recommendations on and negotiating the acquisition of rights and the signing of composers in all relevant musical genres with reference to financial and company profile gains
  • Inputting into strategic issues both locally and on an international basis
  • Nurturing and developing a large range of composers in new ways in order to develop existing income streams and to establish new ones on an international basis
  • Ensuring the reputation and profile of the brands of the Wise Music Group and of its UK publishing companies
  • Maximising the benefits of working within the international and independent structure of the Wise Music Group
  • Ensuring that WMG UK provides a high quality and efficient hire library service
  • Managing the WMG’s relationships with its print distributors and hire agents
  • Inputting into the licensing of company rights and to company policy in this regard, and approving licences on a case by case basis, as appropriate
  • Inputting to and managing budgets for all WMG UK publishing companies, including Edition Peters UK
  • Meeting revenue, overhead and EBITDA targets
  • Regularly reporting to the Board and Group management on UK company performance
  • Management responsibility for all WMG UK publishing staff (including Promotion, Editorial, Hire, Creative and Income Tracking)
  • Being part of the music industry network and engage with the MPA, PRS and similar organisations to secure the interests of WMG on an industry level
  • The most important external relationships are with the composers and their management, Estates and legal representation. As well as supporting, advising and representing the composers, the Job-Holder is responsible for negotiating (often non-standard) terms with them


SKILLS & BEHAVIOURAL REQUIREMENTS


The job requires a broad and comprehensive understanding of the different systems, theories and practices relevant to the business of publishing classical, media and commercial music on an international basis, and a general understanding of copyright management, as well as a broad knowledge of the principal decision makers within the target markets. Also required is an understanding of how organisations run including cash flow, people management and business processes. Specifically, the Job-Holder needs to have a comprehensive knowledge of today’s music scenes, across a range of genres and internationally.


Experience and Knowledge

  • An experienced senior music executive with experience of the classical music market
  • A known person within the music business generally, but especially in classical
  • Broad knowledge, gained through experience, of big players in music markets (especially classical), whether new or old media
  • Familiarity with contemporary commercial / media music
  • Broad understanding of systems/practices application to the successful publication of classical (in particular), media and commercial music on an international basis
  • An experienced people manager
  • Detailed understanding of how rights income is generated and flows globally
  • General understanding of copyright management
  • Detailed knowledge of classical music


Skills and Abilities

  • Ability to talk knowledgeably and confidently with writers, particularly classical writers
  • Ability to work collaboratively cross-departmentally
  • An excellent communication style, both verbally and written
  • Decisive decision maker
  • Able to work well under pressure


Personal Qualities

  • A team player
  • Driven by financial targets as well as artistic quality of ‘product’
  • Broad taste, not necessarily driven by personal likes and dislikes but by a good sense of quality and what the market will accept across a range of genres


Availability

Core working hours are 0930 to 1730 Monday to Friday, however you will need to be flexible and able to work additional hours as required ensuring deadlines are met.


Willing to travel in the UK and internationally from time to time, as required.


A hybrid working model is currently in place, which requires employees to work 2 days a week at our Berners Street London office location, with the possibility of this increasing to 3 days in the near future.


Closing Date: Friday 15th November 2024.


Wise Music Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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