Ellie Trainor is a…
songwriter, novelist, and visual artist
royalty and copyright administration professional
tuned-in pop culture enthusiast
I thrive at the intersection of creativity and enterprise. I started at NYU as a songwriting major in 2018, but transferred to music business to gain a holistic understanding of the industry and combine my artistic talents with real-world intellectual challenges. Even through the upheaval of the pandemic, I completed a four year program in three years and graduated magna cum laude in 2021. I’ve spent the years since then building skills and connections in music rights administration, and now I want to apply that experience in pursuit of my greatest passion: pairing music with visual media.
SoundExchange
June 2022 – Present
As a Performer Lineups Specialist at SoundExchange, I help ensure creators receive the royalties they deserve every single day. I use Salesforce CRM and internal tools SXDirect and Rights to process artist claims, confirming via internal and external research that all tracks are correctly associated. I communicate with artists and representatives about ownership issues and high-value adjustments. I adhere closely to SoundExchange policy and US copyright law to ensure that royalties are paid to the correct people at the correct amount, based on the provided documentation and corroborating external artist research.
Mood Media
October 2022 – January 2023
In my off hours from SoundExchange, I worked part-time as a fixed-term contractor to help Mood Media to prepare its enormous collection of Muzak recordings for sync. I conducted comprehensive research to determine copyright ownership for musical works and sound recordings for over a thousand newly digitized Muzak songs. I located contact information for all copyright holders, including international and deceased creators.
The Mechanical Licensing Collective
May 2021 – May 2022
My first job after graduating from NYU was a contract position as a Documentation Specialist at the MLC, in which I wrote the first official standard operating procedures for the then-nascent organization. When the project was complete, I transitioned to the Matching team, first as a temp and then as a Matching Associate. I also served as a representative of SoundExchange at South by Southwest 2022, where I educated industry professionals and emerging songwriters on the mission of the MLC at events hosted by the Recording Academy, Songtrust, and BMI.