The Global Business Development & Digital Strategy team, split evenly between New York and London, focuses on executing and renewing revenue-generating commercial deals monetizing Sony Music’s vast catalogue with a broad range of companies globally, from major streaming partners such as Spotify, Amazon, Apple, YouTube and TikTok to the next generation of music and technology start-ups. You will join an international team of data-savvy negotiators and business analysts, who operate on the front lines with strong work ethic and genuine team spirit. If you're a penultimate-year undergraduate looking for a placement year, this is an opportunity to spend 12 months at the centre of the global music industry's digital transformation.
During your Year in Industry as Business Analyst, you will be trained and exposed to digital distribution deal structures and strategies. You will gain an understanding of how music copyrights are licensed, of the general structure of our industry, and of how commercial agreements with global and multi-territory digital partners are negotiated and executed. You will grow your ability to summarise complex thoughts, crystallise situations and potential options, isolate action points and communicate them effectively in writing to stakeholders. What makes this role unusual is the level of exposure. You'll have the opportunity to work directly with analysts, dealmakers and senior leaders in London and New York, gaining insight into commercial decision-making that most students only encounter years into their careers.
You will prepare and maintain benchmarking analysis tools and contribute to ad hoc projects including researching markets and business opportunities, documenting and comparing commercial agreements, building revenue forecasts and conducting in depth business analysis while working closely with negotiators and senior business analysts. You will establish yourself as a point of contact for queries relating to these areas by forging strong relationships across the business and with external contacts.
Please note: This application form cannot be saved part-way through. We recommend preparing your answers in a separate document and then copying them into the form when you’re ready to submit. If you’d like to take additional time to complete your application, please ensure you gather your responses externally before submitting in one go.
If you have any reasonable adjustment requests, please reach out to recruitment.support@sonymusic.com.
Role Overview:
Ways of Working
- Office attendance: Monday to Thursday
- Flexibility: Working from home on Fridays
What you'll do:
- Run actionable business analysis from large datasets (not just numbers, but also contracts, research etc.), pulling, visualizing, and presenting insights to instruct deal negotiations.
- Maintain internal KPI trackers and tools (macro streaming market landscape, status on licensing, availability and pricing of hundreds of partners) using first-party partner reporting data.
- Track and benchmark key commercial terms across our different commercial partners.
- Assess performance, build revenue models and prepare business reviews and development activities with key partners.
- Research and monitor the digital marketplace to identify and assess new revenue opportunities.
- Take minutes and isolate action points in department meetings and international conference calls.
- Gather information from local operating companies and share learnings regularly and effectively.
Who you are:
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This role is aimed at penultimate-year undergraduate students seeking a placement year in industry as part of their degree.
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Although it is welcome, you do not need previous experience in music, banking, consulting or corporate finance. What matters most is your ability to learn quickly, think critically and approach unfamiliar problems and ambiguity with rigour and enthusiasm.
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You are intellectually curious, analytical and motivated by the opportunity to learn, contribute and make an impact.
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You have a strong interest in media, entertainment, technology and digital business, and enjoy understanding how innovation creates new opportunities, changes consumer behaviour and transforms industries. A passion for music is a plus.
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You are excited by the potential of AI and emerging technologies and interested in how they can be applied to solve business problems, improve decision-making and create concrete opportunities for growth.
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You are comfortable working with data, numbers and technology. You have strong Excel and PowerPoint skills, an interest in data visualisation tools such as Sigma, Power BI, Tableau or Alteryx, and some exposure to quantitative analysis, financial modelling or data-driven problem solving. SQL skills are a plus.
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You take ownership of your work, pay close attention to detail and are committed to producing high-quality output.
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You are organised and dependable, able to balance multiple priorities and deliver against deadlines while working both independently and as part of a team.
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You enjoy gathering information, understanding complex issues and turning analysis into clear, practical recommendations.
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You value collaboration, act with integrity and actively seek, receive and apply feedback as part of your continued development.
Preferred (but not required) courses:
- BSc in Business Analytics
- Data Science
- Economics
- International Business
- Finance
- Management
What you'll gain:
- Exposure to high-profile digital deals and strategic projects.
- Opportunities to learn directly from experienced commercial and business development leaders.
- Hands-on experience applying data analysis, automation and AI in a real business environment.
- A deeper understanding of the global music industry and digital media ecosystem.
- Experience that will accelerate your development, regardless of the career path you choose after university.
What we give you:
- An annual salary of £28,480 (London Living Wage)
- You join a vibrant global community with the opportunity to channel your passion every day
- A modern office environment designed for you, empowering you to bring your best
- Investment in your professional growth and development such as focused workshops and a dedicated mentor, enabling you to thrive in our vibrant community
- The space to accelerate progress, positively disrupt and create what happens next
- We give you the platform to champion positive change, with the opportunity to contribute to our social impact, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
- We provide an excellent range of benefits like private medical cover, a generous pension scheme, life assurance, income protection, plus loads of music industry perks. There’s also time off over winter break
Process Overview
- Applications open October 16th at 10:00 and close November 13th at 10:00. Candidates whose applications are selected will be invited to complete a task between February 1st and February 7th.
- Candidates who pass this stage will then be invited to the final stage of the process, an in-person interview mid February. We will send further information on this stage before the date arrives.
- Offers will be issued for this role in March.
- Successful applicants will start in late August/Early September.
We are committed to providing an accessible recruitment process and encourage you to let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the process by contacting this email: recruitment.support@sonymusic.com.
Equal Opportunities
As an active part of a culturally and socially diverse society, Sony Music’s aim is that our workforce is diverse and inclusive. Sony Music is an equal opportunity employer and supports workforce diversity.
We employ, retain, promote and otherwise treat all employees and job applicants according to their merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We apply this policy without regard to any individual’s sex, race, religion, origin, age, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition or disability.
Privacy Policy
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Please note that applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
