Music Rights & Clearances Lead

NPR; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 101,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

NPR in Washington, DC is hiring a Music Rights & Clearances Manager to bridge NPR Music's programming with rights-holders.

You will lead end-to-end clearance for Tiny Desk and other productions, secure master, sync, and publishing licenses, and coordinate across production, legal, and external partners.

Hybrid role with required in-office presence in DC, New York, or Culver City at least 3 days a week; salary range $101,000-$115,000 with comprehensive NPR benefits.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience in music licensing, clearances, or copyright administration within a media company, record label, music publisher, streaming service, or entertainment law environment.
• Deep operational mastery of music licensing processes, including synchronization rights, master recording rights, publishing agreements, public performance rights (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR), and mechanical licensing frameworks.
• Proven experience clearing rights and managing copyright claims across third-party digital and social media video platforms (YouTube Content ID, TikTok, Meta).
• Demonstrated track record interpreting, administering, and managing inbound and outbound appearance releases and licensing agreements.
• Proven experience designing, documenting, and implementing operational workflows or clearance tracking systems that improve turnaround times and team adoption across creative and administrative units.
• Proven ability to build consensus and collaborate effectively across creative production teams, legal counsel, and external artist representatives under strict production deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Clear publishing and composition rights for NPR's Tiny Desk concerts and programming.
• Secure master, synchronization, and performance licenses for music-focused content.
• Administer releases and documentation for artists, musicians, and labels before broadcast.
• Oversee multi-platform digital rights across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and streaming.
• Coordinate royalties and distribution accounting with internal teams and rights holders.
• Manage inbound and outbound rights agreements and archiving.
• Design clearance workflows and improve cross-functional processes with legal and production.
• Collaborate with Office of General Counsel to interpret contracts and ensure compliance.

Skills

Analytical legal acumen

Diplomatic negotiation

High-urgency prioritization

Cross-functional communication

Artistic advocacy

Contract interpretation

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience

Tools

Airtable

Salesforce

Asana

Job description

NPR in Washington, DC is hiring a Music Rights & Clearances Manager to bridge NPR Music's programming with rights-holders.

You will lead end-to-end clearance for Tiny Desk and other productions, secure master, sync, and publishing licenses, and coordinate across production, legal, and external partners.

Hybrid role with required in-office presence in DC, New York, or Culver City at least 3 days a week; salary range $101,000-$115,000 with comprehensive NPR benefits.