Manager, U.S. Publishing Licensing

The Music Mission team owns Spotify’s end-to-end proposition for music creators and the experiences they create for fans. The team is dedicated to building tools and services to enable creation, promotion, expression, and monetization at scale.

The U.S. Publishing Licensing team sits at the center of Spotify’s relationships with music publishers, rights holders, performing rights organizations, and industry partners. We help shape the commercial and statutory frameworks that power Spotify’s music offering in the United States. Our work blends licensing strategy, regulatory expertise, commercial judgment, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure scalable, forward-looking outcomes for creators and fans.

What You'll Do:
• Lead negotiations for U.S. publishing licensing agreements and amendments, owning strategy, positioning, and execution from initial outreach through signature.
• Structure and evaluate digital licensing deals, assessing commercial terms against statutory frameworks and evolving market standards.
• Apply deep expertise in Section 115, associated regulations and the MLC framework to inform Spotify’s broader commercial strategy.
• Translate complex regulatory concepts into clear internal guidance for Legal, Finance, Royalty, and Product partners.
• Develop licensor communications, FAQs, and internal playbooks that help scale knowledge across teams.
• Analyze deal economics, build financial models, and provide data-driven insights to support negotiations and leadership decision-making.
• Contribute to the evolution of licensing workflows by identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, scalability, and operational clarity through technology-enabled solutions.
• Stay close to industry trends, legislative developments, and digital market shifts to proactively inform strategy.

Who You Are:
• You have 7+ years of experience in music publishing and digital licensing.
• You have a deep understanding of U.S. mechanical licensing, including Section 115 and the statutory licensing landscape. You will also have a deep understanding of the U.S. performance licensing landscape.
• You have led or materially supported commercial licensing negotiations with publishers or digital service providers.
• You are comfortable interpreting regulatory frameworks and translating them into practical business strategies.
• You bring strong analytical skills and can evaluate deal economics with rigor and sound commercial judgment.
• You communicate clearly and confidently with both external partners and senior internal stakeholders.
• You have worked cross-functionally with Legal, Royalty, Finance, or Product teams in a complex organization.
• You are curious about how emerging technologies can support smarter workflows and more scalable licensing operations.

Where You'll Be:
• This role is based in New York, NY
• We offer you the flexibility to work where you work best! There will be some in person meetings, but still allows for flexibility to work from home.
• This role follows Spotify’s office mix model — a blend of in-office 2-3 times per week and remote work.

The United States base range for this position is $125,883–$179,833, plus equity. The benefits available for this position include health insurance, six-month paid parental leave, 401(k) retirement plan, monthly meal allowance, 23 paid days off, paid flexible holidays, and paid sick leave. These ranges may be modified in the future.

Spotify is an equal opportunity employer. You are welcome at Spotify for who you are, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or what’s playing in your headphones. Our platform is for everyone, and so is our workplace. The more voices we have represented and amplified in our business, the more we will all thrive, contribute, and be forward-thinking! So bring us your personal experience, your perspectives, and your background. It’s in our differences that we will find the power to keep revolutionizing the way the world listens.

At Spotify, we are passionate about inclusivity and making sure our entire recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We have ways to request reasonable accommodations during the interview process and help assist in what you need. If you need accommodations at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know - we’re here to support you in any way we can.

Spotify transformed music listening forever when we launched in 2008. Our mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the chance to enjoy and be passionate about these creators. Everything we do is driven by our love for music and podcasting. Today, we are the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service.