Senior Music Copyright Coordinator

Company Description

Reporting to: Director of Legal & Business Affairs, FMUK

Location: Stephen Street, London

Contract: 12 month FTC

Type of work: Hybrid working (3-4 days in office)

About Fremantle UK

Creating the Extraordinary, Together.

Fremantle UK is one of the UK’s leading creators, producers and distributors of world-class entertainment, drama, film and documentaries. As part of the global Fremantle group, we develop and produce bold, distinctive content that reaches audiences across the UK and around the world.

From award-winning entertainment formats such as Britain’s Got Talent, The Apprentice and Too Hot to Handle, to critically acclaimed dramas including The Responder, starring Martin Freeman, and internationally celebrated films such as Yorgos Lanthimos’ Oscar-winning Poor Things, Fremantle UK is home to some of the industry’s most recognised and talked-about programming.

Our Purpose

We are driven by a shared purpose of Creating the Extraordinary, Together. We tell stories that connect people around the world, reflecting and celebrating the diversity of the communities we serve. Through compelling and irresistible entertainment, we aim to engage, inspire and create meaningful cultural impact.

To achieve this, we bring together talented people from all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives both within our teams and across our productions. We are committed to fostering an inclusive culture and creating opportunities for diverse talent in everything we do.

Job Description

About the role

We are seeking an experienced and highly organised Senior Music Copyright Coordinator to join our production business. This role is responsible for managing music rights and copyright administration across a diverse slate of television productions, ensuring all music usage is accurately tracked, cleared, licensed, reported and compliant with contractual, legal and broadcaster requirements.

Job overview

• Coordinate the clearance and licensing of commercial music, production music and commissioned works for television productions and content to be exploited digitally including on social platforms.
• Review music usage requests and advise production teams on rights requirements, restrictions and costs.
• Liaise with record labels, publishers, music libraries, collecting societies and rights holders to secure permissions and licences.
• Track music clearances from initial request through to execution and delivery.
• Managing external queries surrounding Fremantle owned music and negotiating and concluding agreements licensing out FM owned music to third parties.
• Maintain accurate records of all music rights licences, agreements and other contractual documentation.
• Ensure all music usage complies with contractual, legal, broadcaster and distributor requirements.
• Where requested, assisting production teams to enable them to prepare cue sheets for submission to broadcasters and collection societies including PRS for Music and PPL.
• Monitor licence expirations, restrictions and territory-specific rights.
• Work closely with producers, editors and post-production teams to ensure music usage is identified and cleared in a timely manner.
• Provide guidance on copyright risks, fair dealing considerations and other music rights-related issues.
• Support music budget management by tracking licensing costs and commitments.
• Assist with rights audits and programme delivery requirements.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with composers, music supervisors, publishers, labels and licensing partners.
• Act as the primary contact for music rights enquiries across multiple productions.
• Negotiate routine music licences and assist Rights team and senior management with more complex rights negotiations eg. blanket negotiations.
• Develop and maintain best-practice rights management processes and documentation.
• Contribute to departmental reporting, workflow improvements and rights management systems.
• Stay informed of developments in music copyright law, music licensing practices and industry standards.
• Take a proactive approach in terms of use of AI tools to assist their work, identifying useful tools and securing Fremantle approval where needed and conducting trials etc.

Everyone who works with the Company is expected to be flexible regarding their duties. A job description is not an exhaustive list of what an employee is expected to do as roles may change and evolve over time.

Here you will get to:

Act as a key point of contact between production teams, music supervisors, composers, rights holders, broadcasters, distributors and collection societies, helping to mitigate risk while supporting the creative use of music across our content portfolio. You will get the opportunity to work on high-profile television productions for leading broadcasters and streaming platforms, alongside professional development prospects within a growing production business. As part of the legal team the successful candidate will also advise on music related issues arising in commissioning agreements, streamer agreements and other third-party agreement assisting the lawyer negotiating those agreements.

We’re looking for:

• Significant experience in music copyright, music supervision support, rights management or music licensing within television, film, media or entertainment.
• Strong understanding of UK and international music copyright principles.
• Experience managing music clearances and licensing workflows for broadcast, streaming and other digital platforms including social platforms.
• Working knowledge of PRS for Music, PPL and cue sheet requirements.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple productions and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong attention to detail and record-keeping capabilities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and rights management databases/systems.

Desirable

• Experience working within an independent television production company.
• Knowledge of international distribution rights and platform-specific licensing requirements.
• Experience supporting music commissioning agreements and composer contracts.
• Familiarity with rights management software and metadata systems.

Personal Attributes

• Highly organised and proactive.
• Commercially aware with strong problem-solving skills.
• Able to work independently while collaborating effectively across departments.
• Calm under pressure and able to prioritise competing demands.
• Passionate about music and the creative industries.

Additional Information

Our benefits include generous company pension, summer Fridays, audience tickets, employee assistance program, access to free courses and training, EV scheme, cycle to work scheme, season ticket loan and volunteer days.

If you need any of this information in a different format or would like to suggest a different form of application, please contact[email protected]

Fremantle is part of RTL Group, a global leader across broadcast, content and digital, itself a division of the international media giant Bertelsmann.

For more information, please visit Fremantle.com, follow us @FremantleHQ or visit our LinkedIn and Facebook pages.