Director/Vice President, Artist & Label Partnerships - AWAL

About Sony Music Entertainment

At Sony Music Entertainment, we fuel the creative journey. We’ve played a pioneering role in music history, from the first-ever music label to the invention of the flat disc record. We’ve nurtured some of music’s most iconic artists and produced some of the most influential recordings of all time.

Today, we work in more than 70 countries, supporting a diverse roster of international superstars, developing and independent artists, and visionary creators. From our position at the intersection of music, entertainment, and technology, we bring imagination and expertise to the newest products and platforms, embrace new business models, employ breakthrough tools, and provide powerful insights that help our artists push creative boundaries and reach new audiences. In everything we do, we’re committed to artistic integrity, transparency, and entrepreneurship.

Sony Music Entertainment is a member of the Sony family of global companies.

As the Director or Vice President of Artist & Label Partnerships, you will work with the senior leadership team to source, negotiate, and execute acquisitions of music rights, joint ventures, and any other strategic partnerships with artists and labels. This role will work globally, running the entire deal process for opportunities across the world in collaboration with local AWAL/Sony teams. This is a rare opportunity to have an influence on the development of the music industry and how AWAL is best positioned to be the partner of choice for artists and entrepreneurial label executives.

What you'll do:

• Develop and own the acquisition strategy for AWAL
• Drive relationships on a global basis to source and close new opportunities, creating a network of managers, business managers, lawyers, and rightsholders who see AWAL as the first stop for potential deals
• Leverage and guide the development of tools to identify potential partners
• Prospect at scale, including cold outreach to individuals outside direct network
• Contribute to investment and acquisition deal processes, working cross-functionally across AWAL and Sony Music to conduct due diligence and support negotiations
• Support finance team in creating financial valuation models for each deal, ensuring we have the right view on deal terms and structure
• Contribute to investment presentations and approval memos for senior management
• Engage with the local teams in each of AWAL’s offices globally, supporting the development of a local strategy and collaborating to assess, negotiate, and close deals
• Run process post-close to guide catalog onboarding, evaluate deal performance, and drive process improvements with a spirit of continuous learning

Who you are:

This opportunity may be filled either at a Director or Vice President level. A series of interviews will assess and determine the qualifications required for either level.

• Director: You are an established executive within the music business with 5+ years of experience managing the entire lifecycle of deals, from sourcing to close and onboarding
• VP: You are an established executive within the music business with 8+ years of experience managing the entire lifecycle of deals, from sourcing to close and onboarding
• You possess a deep, lifelong passion for music and are driven by a commitment to empowering artists and labels through fair and strategic partnerships
• You have extensive relationships with managers, business managers, lawyers, and rightsholders within music, with a clear sense of how you would generate deal opportunities from day one
• You have excellent interpersonal and networking skills and a track record of developing effective business relationships both within and outside your organization
• You are a self-starter and use an entrepreneurial mindset to create opportunities
• You never stop learning and are comfortable using technology to improve processes, drive efficiencies, and automate workflows
• You can anticipate and identify industry trends and distill them into actionable ideas and opportunities, with a perspective on potential investable market trends
• You have exceptional verbal and written communication skills and can present ideas clearly and thoroughly to diverse audiences of stakeholders

What we give you:

• You join an inclusive, collaborative and global community where you have the opportunity to channel your passion every day  
• A modern office environment designed to foster productivity, creativity, and teamwork empowering you to bring your best 
• An attractive and comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life & disability coverage, and 401K + employer matching 
• Voluntary benefits like company-paid identity theft protection and resources for pets, mental health and meditation resources, industry-leading fertility coverage, fully paid leave for childbirth or bonding, fully paid leave for caregivers, programs for loved ones with developmental disabilities and neurodiversity, subsidized back-up child and elder care, and reimbursement for adoption, surrogacy, tuition, and student loans 
• Investment in your professional growth and development enabling you to thrive in our vibrant community.  
• The space to accelerate progress, positively disrupt, and create what happens next  
• Time off for a winter recess

Sony Music is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of age, disability, national origin, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, veteran or military status, marital and civil partnership/union status, alienage or citizenship status, creed, genetic information or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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