Spanish Point Technologies has hired former Kobalt executive Simon Dennett to help take its Matching Engine music rights platform global. The Irish tech firm has made him Chief Product Officer, giving him a key role in its plans to reach more markets.
Dennett brings 14 years at Kobalt Music Group, where he held senior roles in product and sales strategy. He also helped grow amra, the firm's digital royalty collection business, and built tools that helped AWAL expand.
His work didn't stop there. After a stint on amra's board, he went on to build, advise, and back firms that deal with music rights, tech, and intellectual property.
For Spanish Point, that mix of skills is a big part of the hire. CEO and co-founder John Corley sees Dennett as someone who knows how songwriters, publishers, and royalty collection groups work from each side of the business.
Matching Engine already serves music rights groups in 13 nations across Europe and North America. Clients range from Ireland's IMRO to Canada's SOCAN, along with TONO and Koda.
The software has been in use since 2018 and runs on Microsoft Azure. It helps collection groups link songs to usage data, work out royalty payments, handle licenses, and give members access to their records.
And the scale is quite large. Spanish Point expects groups using its tech to pay out more than €1.2 billion, or over $1.3 billion, to at least 500,000 artists and rights holders.
Dennett sees AI making the job of tracking music rights more complex. More data means firms need fast tools that can still keep payment records clear and correct, which he wants Matching Engine to handle as it grows.
There's another new face at the top as well. Brian Caulfield has joined as Chairperson, bringing a long track record in tech investment. His past roles include Venture Partner and Managing Partner at Molten Ventures.
Caulfield has backed names such as Movidius, Graphcore, and Clavis Insight, giving Spanish Point another link to the wider tech sector.
The firm has also grown its staff to more than 120, twice its size in 2023. Corley, meanwhile, earned a finalist spot in Ireland's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program.
Microsoft is a major part of the setup. Spanish Point says it ranks as the tech giant's largest Azure partner in Ireland and is one of just three partners across the UK and Ireland cleared to deliver its AI transformation program.
Dennett brings 14 years at Kobalt Music Group, where he held senior roles in product and sales strategy. He also helped grow amra, the firm's digital royalty collection business, and built tools that helped AWAL expand.
His work didn't stop there. After a stint on amra's board, he went on to build, advise, and back firms that deal with music rights, tech, and intellectual property.
For Spanish Point, that mix of skills is a big part of the hire. CEO and co-founder John Corley sees Dennett as someone who knows how songwriters, publishers, and royalty collection groups work from each side of the business.
Matching Engine already serves music rights groups in 13 nations across Europe and North America. Clients range from Ireland's IMRO to Canada's SOCAN, along with TONO and Koda.
The software has been in use since 2018 and runs on Microsoft Azure. It helps collection groups link songs to usage data, work out royalty payments, handle licenses, and give members access to their records.
And the scale is quite large. Spanish Point expects groups using its tech to pay out more than €1.2 billion, or over $1.3 billion, to at least 500,000 artists and rights holders.
Dennett sees AI making the job of tracking music rights more complex. More data means firms need fast tools that can still keep payment records clear and correct, which he wants Matching Engine to handle as it grows.
There's another new face at the top as well. Brian Caulfield has joined as Chairperson, bringing a long track record in tech investment. His past roles include Venture Partner and Managing Partner at Molten Ventures.
Caulfield has backed names such as Movidius, Graphcore, and Clavis Insight, giving Spanish Point another link to the wider tech sector.
The firm has also grown its staff to more than 120, twice its size in 2023. Corley, meanwhile, earned a finalist spot in Ireland's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program.
Microsoft is a major part of the setup. Spanish Point says it ranks as the tech giant's largest Azure partner in Ireland and is one of just three partners across the UK and Ireland cleared to deliver its AI transformation program.
