beatBread makes run of recent appointments, together with ex-Spotify and CD Child execs

Music financing platform beatBread has made three senior hires, as the corporate continues to increase its funding operations for unbiased artists and labels.

The US-based agency introduced that Christine Barnum will be a part of as Head of Monetary Operations, Michael Poole as Chief Monetary Officer, and Jameson Toole as Board Advisor on AI and Machine Studying.

Based on the corporate, every govt will serve in a fractional capability, contributing experience in music operations, structured finance, and know-how as beatBread develops its platform and capital base.

Based in 2020, beatBread offers advances to unbiased artists and labels backed by their music rights and income streams. The corporate says it has deployed greater than $100 million throughout roughly 1,700 funding agreements since launch.

On the finish of final 12 months, beatBread additionally introduced that artists and labels in 42 nations have acquired funding by the platform, with the catalog tied to these offers producing a mixed 67.6 billion streams thus far, together with 13.6 billion streams linked to agreements signed this 12 months.

“As we scale our platform and deepen {our relationships} with unbiased artists and labels, their expertise will assist us strengthen our core capabilities, and proceed constructing options that put creators first.”

Tracy Maddux, Interim CEO of beatBread

The brand new hires arrive as the corporate seeks to strengthen its operational, monetary and technical capabilities whereas increasing its funding exercise.

Barnum joins beatBread after practically 20 years at unbiased distribution platform CD Child, the place she most not too long ago served as Chief Working Officer and Chief Income Officer. Throughout her tenure on the firm, she oversaw greater than $1 billion in royalty payouts to artists and helped lead initiatives associated to royalty reporting methods, tax compliance, and anti-fraud operations, and performed a key function in company growth and M&A.

Poole joins by finance and accounting companies agency Countsy and brings greater than 20 years of expertise in world credit score and capital markets. He beforehand held management roles at Neighborhood Funding Administration, CircleUp and Columbia Threadneedle Investments, engaged on institutional credit score portfolios and structured finance methods throughout a number of areas. His experience in asset-backed finance, threat administration, and scalable lending platforms will assist beatBread because it grows its capital base.

In the meantime, Toole joins beatBread from Spotify, the place he labored as a Workers Machine Studying Engineer creating large-scale, real-time advice methods. Earlier in his profession, Toole co-founded cell AI platform Fritz AI earlier than the corporate’s group joined Spotify.

At beatBread, Toole will advise on machine studying and knowledge science initiatives, together with fraud detection and underwriting fashions designed to help the corporate’s music funding selections.

Commenting on the appointments, Tracy Maddux, Interim CEO of beatBread, mentioned:

“Christine, Michael, and Jameson every deliver important experience in areas which are core to beatBread’s future.

“As we scale our platform and deepen {our relationships} with unbiased artists and labels, their expertise will assist us strengthen our core capabilities, and proceed constructing options that put creators first.”

beatBread has expanded its funding platform and product providing considerably since launching in 2020.

In 2022, the corporate raised $34 million in seed funding and later that 12 months established a $100 million institutional fund to help advances to unbiased artists and labels.

Throughout the identical 12 months, beatBread additionally launched what it described as an “unique investor community,” including funding from music corporations, distributors and high-net-worth people to its present capital pool.

In 2023, the corporate broadened its providing past recordings with the launch of a Songwriting Advance Division, permitting songwriters to obtain funding towards their publishing rights.

In 2024, beatBread expanded additional into publishing companies by partnerships with Kobalt and AMRA, providing publishing administration to artists utilizing the platform.

Extra not too long ago, in 2025, the corporate secured an extra $124 million in credit score and fairness capital from traders together with Citi, Deciens Capital, Mucker Capital and Benefit Capital, alongside lending companions corresponding to GMO.Music Enterprise Worldwide