Music Counsel, EMEA

About the Team ByteDance is looking for a transactional attorney, with multiple years’ experience of drafting and negotiating digital music licenses, artist/label distribution/services agreements and other music rights-related agreements, to join its team of music lawyers in London.

The role will support ByteDance’s Music Business Development team’s efforts to execute ByteDance’s music licensing strategy in respect of - TikTok, the world’s leading short video platform, CapCut, the video editing app and other ByteDance-owned digital properties which include music and the SoundOn direct digital distribution platform. The role is based in London.

Responsibilities:

• You will draft and negotiate blanket / full catalogue licence agreements with record labels, aggregators, music publishers and collecting societies based in the UK & EU, supporting ByteDance products and services including TikTok and CapCut.
• You will draft, negotiate and provide guidance regarding license agreements with independent artists, record label distribution partnerships and artist / record label services agreements for SoundOn.
• You will work cross-functionally with key internal stakeholders and provide legal guidance concerning potential music rights implications of various new product/service initiatives and commercial partnerships of ByteDance.
• You will work cross-functionally with ByteDance product and business teams, including Ad Sales, Monetization, Marketing, Strategic Partnerships, Artist and Label Relations, User Growth and other relevant teams, to clear rights for marketing, promotion and music performance streaming events, including synchronization agreements for sound recordings and musical compositions, and artist performance agreements.

Qualifications Minimum Qualification(s)

• Qualified lawyer in the UK or an EU jurisdiction.
• Significant experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating talent/artist, music rights, and content/platform-related agreements, including direct experience with licensing agreements for or with digital service providers, media companies, technology companies, music services, UGC platforms, or music rightsholders.
• Experience gained at a leading law firm, music rightsholder, UGC platform, digital platform, media company, or music service.
• Strong analytical, communication, drafting, and negotiation skills, with the ability to assess and clearly communicate legal and business risks, trade-offs, and recommended solutions.
• Pragmatic, business-oriented judgment and a strategic, risk-based approach to problem-solving in ambiguous or evolving situations.
• Ability to manage multiple matters simultaneously, prioritize effectively, and work independently and cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to support cross-time-zone collaboration, including meetings outside normal business hours when needed. Preferred Qualification(s)
• Experience advising on digital music licensing and related commercial, product, and regulatory issues.
• In-house experience at a technology platform, media, entertainment, or music company.
• Familiarity with legal issues relating to music rights, artist and talent matters, content distribution, user-generated content, and platform operations.
• Experience structuring and negotiating complex, cross-border, or high-value commercial transactions.
• Experience partnering with stakeholders across multiple jurisdictions and time zones.