Development within the MENA area has been a significant spotlight for the worldwide music trade in recent times.

In accordance with international recorded music physique IFPI, recorded music market revenues within the Center East and North Africa grew by 35% in 2021, making it the fastest-growing music area on this planet.

Moreover, some 95.3% of these revenues within the wider area in 2021 have been generated from music streaming.

Saudi Arabia, one of many key music markets within the MENA area, boasts a inhabitants dimension of an estimated 35.95 million and an web penetration fee of a whopping 98% of that whole inhabitants dimension.

The nation can also be residence to outstanding Arabic music firm Rotana, which is claimed to be the most important report label within the Center East, and has not too long ago struck licensing offers with TikTok and Spotify.

Saudi Arabia’s mature digital footprint and lively home music market arguably make it a great location for a MENA-focused music trade convention, hosted within the type of the XP Music Futures occasion, the second version of which was held in November 2022.

“Saudi Arabia is at the moment experiencing an unbelievable transformation,” says Nada Alhelabi, Technique Director at MDLBEAST & XP Music Futures Program Director.

Alhelabi explains additional that Saudi Arabia’s music enterprise beforehand operated below the radar of the worldwide music trade, however that Saudi-based music and leisure firm MDLBEAST goals to vary that by turning XP, and its different operated occasions, into key fixtures on the worldwide music occasion calendar.

“Beforehand, our music group may solely thrive underground, however now we’re internet hosting main worldwide and regional artists and festivals with 1000’s of attendees,” explains Alhelabi.

“XP Music Futures is our effort to deliver collectively music trade [professionals] to community and collaborate.”

“Saudi Arabia is at the moment experiencing an unbelievable transformation.”

Nada Alhelabi, MDLBEAST & XP Music Futures 

MDLBEAST, the corporate behind XP, initially launched in 2019 as a music pageant known as ‘MDLBEAST Soundstorm’, which it claims on its web site “was a cultural catalyst for Saudi youth”.

The corporate has since expanded to comprise a report label, in addition to the XP Music Futures convention, which formally launched in 2021.

MDLBEAST’s SoundStorm Music Competition, in the meantime, held within the capital metropolis Riyadh, was headlined in 2022 by superstars like Bruno Mars, DJ Khaled and Publish Malone.

Trying to the longer term, Alhelabi explains that MDLBEAST aspires to develop into recognized, not simply as an leisure firm, “however for growing the area’s music financial system and defining the following technology of music and leisure”.

“We would like it to encourage future generations to contemplate a profession within the trade and promote music as a automobile for job creation and innovation, making it a sustainable trade from which they’ll develop and construct a robust worthwhile work expertise,” explains Alhelabi.

Right here, Nada Alhelabi, Technique Director at MDLBEAST & XP Music Futures Program Director, provides us an perception into the corporate’s origins, its plans for the longer term, and challenges and alternatives for the music enterprise in Saudi Arabia and the broader MENA area…

Inform us concerning the response you’ve had from the worldwide music enterprise to the XP Music Futures initiative over the previous two editions?

The suggestions has been extraordinarily optimistic. From the primary 12 months and now the second, all audio system, artists, and visitors expressed their curiosity in collaborating once more. Everybody noticed the potential in our youth and the infinite prospects in our nation. We’re a clean canvas and the sweetness is that you could create and innovate a brand new trade and never compensate for what now we have missed. We give attention to being motion oriented by growing and implementing initiatives to assist the expertise and scene, for instance, Xperform (aimed to find expertise throughout MENA), Xchange (workshops throughout the area that goals to attach the communities and remedy issues), and others. We additionally give attention to collaborations with key music industries and we succeeded this 12 months by doing so.

The 2022 version featured varied high-profile audio system together with David Guetta, DJ Khaled, Hardwell, Amy Thomson, and Mathew Knowles. Inform us concerning the significance of attracting such outstanding music trade figures to the speaker lineup?

Annually the suggestions from worldwide artists is fruitful and we’re seeing an increasing number of artists from overseas eager to collaborate and communicate at XP, which we love to listen to. By means of XP we’re in a position to promote the area and speed up optimistic change in range and gender equality by way of advocacy teams, analysis, and knowledge-led insights. The truth that so many worldwide artists and expertise want to become involved solely cements our imaginative and prescient to develop the music trade and financial system.

What have been the largest highlights from the 2022 version?

We had infinite quantities of success and nice highlights this 12 months. From the preliminary planning levels of XP with the crew to see the second version of the occasion that includes the best minds from the worldwide and regional music trade come to life has been probably the most rewarding expertise. We had 200+ audio system, 80+ periods, 9 networking periods,  9 initiatives, 120+ music performances and 9 companion activations with infinite immersive experiences.

What have been a number of the key subjects explored through the panel discussions and keynotes?

We now have invited leaders and creatives from all around the world. The occasion was designed for the musically-curious and musical masters to attach, and take part conversations, workshops, and experiences on the right way to develop a thriving music scene. In a session known as Professional Xperience: Elyanna – Palestinian singer Elyanna spoke candidly about her skilled journey partaking with the viewers in a extra intimate method because the session was within the format of a one-on-one dialog in Arabic, reinforcing authenticity and an unfiltered data trade dialogue between speaker and viewers. Mathew Knowles, the architect of Future’s Youngster and his daughters Beyoncé and Solange Knowles’ early solo careers did a session titled The Fundamentals of the Music Business In A Digital Age, the place he supplied tricks to regional expertise on the right way to breathe life into their music and leisure profession, and guarantee a robust basis is constructed for long-term success. Globally acknowledged former supervisor of the Swedish Home Mafia, Amy Thomson additionally hosted a session titled Honest Pay & Honest Play: Understanding Music Royalties, through which she educated up-and-coming musicians about their rights concerning streaming royalties.

How has the occasion advanced since its inaugural outing in 2021?

What made this 12 months totally different,  now we have expanded our Day and Nite applications and included new session codecs: networking, demo periods, Arabic periods and extra interactive experiences, permitting unfiltered dialogue between the speaker and viewers. We wish to continuously develop and develop our choices to amplify the music tradition within the area.

What can we anticipate from the 2023 occasion, when it comes to scale, line-up, format, and so on?

This 12 months we’re specializing in progress and partnerships. Our intention is to continuously evolve. We now have an awesome alternative to proceed rising our group and switch it into one thing which drives cultural and financial change. We’re aiming to take Xchange (our cellular workshops to new cities), construct new initiatives associated to expertise administration and ladies empowerment.

In accordance with the IFPI, recorded music market revenues within the MENA area grew by 35% in 2021 – the fastest-growing area on this planet. What are your predictions for the area over the approaching years?

We hope that after these monumental achievements, the final Arab public feels much more assured in placing their belief in us to regulate the continued progress of the music scene within the area. We hope that they imagine in MDLBEAST’s objectives and that they assist us transfer in direction of that aim.

Along with the youth we intend to proceed to construct the music scene. I predict that the area will develop into the pioneer within the music trade, by exporting skills, increasing on stay occasions, innovating in educate and develop into one of many high in music consumption.

What are the largest music trade challenges in Saudi Arabia and the broader MENA area at the moment?

Illustration within the trade is usually a problem. I see the necessity for equal alternatives and it’s a precedence for us. The music trade goes by way of unprecedented change within the Center East and globally – girls must be part of it. Internationally feminine producers, artists and creatives are underrepresented and the variety of girls in govt roles within the trade can also be not substantial.

Whereas there’s positively extra consciousness of this now, and focus to make sure truthful illustration between women and men by totally different trade gamers, we have to put our efforts to proceed to facilitate, encourage and push the agenda. It’s a strategic precedence for us to develop the trade within the area in a balanced and truthful method. Throughout this 12 months’s XP, girls in music was one in all our key subjects inside which our skilled audio system mentioned some great benefits of feminine illustration and having a various music trade.

Whereas there’s loads of work to be finished, there has by no means been a greater time for us to maneuver the music infrastructure ahead with a agency give attention to feminine progress within the trade.

What are your ambitions for the XP Music Convention over the approaching years?

We intention to amplify the music tradition within the area. There has at all times been a bustling artistic scene in Saudi, so for many individuals, the eagerness for music has at all times been current. Our imaginative and prescient at MDLBEAST is to develop the music trade and financial system each within the Kingdom and out of doors the area. I envision XP to develop into the platform of discovering the following expertise, connecting the music world, pushing the laws, constructing the scene, and innovating in all points of the music ecosystem.  I’m enthusiastic about what’s to return!

Music Enterprise Worldwide