Job Description
Manager - Legal & Business Affairs

 

At BMG, we recognise the power of music and are dedicated to ensuring it thrives. We are a community of artists, songwriters, and partners, working together to create music and build lasting careers. Here, music creators find not just a business partner, but a trusted home where their work shapes culture and leaves a legacy. Together, we evolve and grow.

We believe that creativity flourishes when people feel they belong. That means building a culture where everyone can show up as themselves, contribute freely, and be treated with fairness and respect - whatever their background, identity, or life story. We’re committed to creating a workplace where individuality is valued, inclusion is intentional, and everyone has the chance to grow. All applicants to BMG will receive equal treatment regardless of age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Manager, Legal & Business Affairs  
London

Your Mission 

We are looking for a motivated and commercially minded Music Lawyer to join our UK Legal & Business Affairs team. This role supports our recorded music and music publishing divisions, working closely with creative, commercial and operational teams across the business. You will play a key part in ensuring our agreements, rights management and day‑to‑day legal operations run smoothly, efficiently and in line with industry best practice. 

 

What You’ll Be Doing 

  • Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of agreements across recorded music and music publishing, including songwriting, administration, recording, producer, mixer, featured artist, video, artwork and photographer agreements. 
  • Advise on intellectual property rights relating to recordings, compositions and other creative assets.  
  • Review and negotiate controlled‑compositions provisions. 
  • Support the Legal & Business Affairs team with new areas of business as required.  
  • Provide day‑to‑day legal support to departments including Royalties & Copyright, Finance, A&R and Operations. 
  • Assist with contractual queries, disputes, invoice approvals, deal structuring, and the provision of templates and contractual information.  
  • Support senior lawyers within the UK Legal & Business Affairs team.  
  • Assist with data‑protection and compliance matters. 

What We’re Looking For 

  • Experience working as a music lawyer, either in‑house or in private practice, across a broad range of music‑industry matters.
  • Strong drafting skills and clear, effective communication.  
  • High level of attention to detail.  
  • Excellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise to meet deadlines.  
  • Ability to understand local operational needs while recognising wider strategic considerations.  
  • Effective team player.  
  • Proactive and able to use initiative.
  • Qualified lawyer in England and Wales with experience in music‑industry legal work. 
  • Demonstrable interest in the music industry.  
  • Interest in legal issues affecting the music and creative sectors. 

It’s a plus if you also have experience at a major music publisher, major label or large independent record label. We’re ideally looking for someone who has 0-4 years PQE.

Ready to shape the future of music?

 

 

Founded in 2008, BMG reimagined the relationship between music companies, songwriters, and artists by offering fairer contracts, greater creative freedom, and unparalleled transparency in royalties and licensing. Now the fourth-largest music company in the world, BMG combines human creativity with cutting-edge technology to connect music with global audiences.

With 20 offices across 13 key markets, BMG represents more than three million songs and recordings, including some of the most iconic catalogs and works from leading artists and songwriters such as The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, George Harrison, Blondie, and more. BMG is wholly owned and privately held by the international media, services, and education company Bertelsmann, whose other content businesses include the entertainment company RTL Group and the trade book publisher Penguin Random House.

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we are dedicated to ensuring that candidates with disabilities are given a fair opportunity to demonstrate their abilities. Therefore, we guarantee an interview to applicants with disabilities who meet the essential criteria for the role. Please note – there may be exceptional circumstances where the volume of applicants means we cannot interview all eligible candidates. If you have any questions about the Guaranteed Interview Scheme or would like to confirm your eligibility, please reach out to us at career.uk@bmg.com.

 

 Company: BMG Rights Management Services (UK) Limited | Job ID: 289291