Licensing and Publishing Assistant (IS-1101-07)

Application Deadline: 15 May 2024

Department: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Washington, DC

Reporting To: Licensing & Publishing Manager

Compensation: $55,924 - $59,653 / year

Description

OPEN DATE: April 17, 2024

CLOSING DATE: May 15, 2024

POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Indefinite

SCHEDULE: Full Time

DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC

Position sensitivity and risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Open to all qualified applicants

What are Trust Fund Positions?

Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program and may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).

Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated as low risk.
• Complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
  
  

Overview

This trust fund position is located in Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (SFR), a division of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. The purpose of this position is to assist the Licensing & Publishing Manager with the outbound licensing program by working with both active and potential licensees of the more than 60,000 recordings and other content in the SFR collections, and to assist with SFR's monetization of publishing copyrights.

Note: This position is eligible for telework and remote work. The salary range may change dependent on applicant's location.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Provides time sensitive license request and pitch processing within the music, film, television, advertising, and gaming fields, by reviewing incoming requests and briefs, logging pertinent data including requestor details, project summaries, requested scope of rights, and proposed deal terms (via FileMaker Pro or similar database application), formulating pitches and delivering content including audio recordings, video, and/or photographs (via DISCO, DropBox, or similar file delivery application).
• Performs song publishing administration activities of SFR by researching songwriters and rights holders, determining rights ownership, maintaining a database with pertinent song publishing information including publisher splits, working with contractor(s) and/or a third-party publishing administrator for the registration and collection of performance and mechanical royalties.
• Engages in research to determine copyright ownership and licensability of content in the SFR catalogue which shall require careful and systematic review of archival documentation including artist contracts, metadata and liner notes, coordination with fellow staff and contractors across departments, and diligent database maintenance (via FileMaker Pro or similar database application).
• Promotes and encourages the licensing of SFR content in markets domestic and foreign by curating targeted pitches, drafting and issuing a promotional newsletter, and maintaining a contacts database. These prospective licensees include various kinds of professionals from the music industry, film and television industries, advertising industry, and game industry.
  
  

Qualification Requirements

Education

To qualify for this position, applicants must possess a bachelor's degree (B.A.) from an accredited four-year college or university and/or 1-3 years of related experience (described below); or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience required for this position is as follows:

• Knowledge to provide time sensitive license request and pitch processing within the music, film, television, advertising, and gaming fields. This includes the use of databases to log requestor details, project summaries, scope of rights, and proposed deal terms; the formulation of pitches and delivery of content including audio recordings, video, and/or photographs; while meeting the needs of artists, compilers, heirs, licensees, and organization staff.
• Knowledge of song publishing industry best practices to perform song-publishing administrative activities for an organization. This includes the research of songwriters and rights holders, determination of rights ownership, the maintenance of database(s) with pertinent song publishing information including publisher splits and working with contractor(s) and/or a third-party publishing administrator(s) for the registration and collection of performance and mechanical royalties; while meeting the needs of artists, compilers, heirs, licensees, and organization staff.
• Knowledge to research and determine copyright ownership and licensability of content for an organization. This involves careful and systematic review of legal and informational documentation including artist contracts, metadata and liner notes, and diligent database maintenance; while meeting the needs of artists, compilers, heirs, licensees, and organization staff.
• Knowledge to promote the licensing of an organization's content in markets domestic and foreign by curating targeted pitches, drafting and issuing a promotional newsletter, and maintaining a contacts database.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally, to successfully interact with active and potential licensees, fellow staff, contractors, artists, compilers, and their heirs and agents.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing to successfully interact with active and potential licensees, fellow staff, contractors, artists, compilers, and their heirs and agents.
  
  

Applicants, who wish to qualify based on education completed outside the United States, must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.

Any false statement in your application may result in your application being rejected and may also result in termination after employment begins.

The Smithsonian Institution values and seeks a diverse workforce. Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."

Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.

What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.

Relocation expenses are not paid.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact SmithJM@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian's Accommodation Procedures.

The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: www.si.edu/oeema.