Spotify just added 10,000 new Arabic songs to its platform via a licensing deal with Rotana Music – Music Business Worldwide

Spotify has signed a licensing deal with Rotana Music, which is claimed to be the largest record label in the Middle East.

The deal brings over 10,000 Arabic songs to the Spotify platform.

The company has released music from prominent artists including Mohamad Abdo, Abdulmajeed Abdullah, Rabeh Saqer, Rashed Al Majed, Abdullah Al Ruwaished, Nawal Al Kuwaitia, Majid Al Mohandis and other stars from the Gulf region.

Rotana’s catalog also includes music by artists such as Amr Diab, Elissa, Tamer Hosny, Najwa Karam, Shereen Abdalwahab, Angham, Wael Kfoury, Saber Al Robae, and others from the Levant, Egypt and North Africa.

Established in 1993, Rotana is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with branches in Jeddah, Dubai, Kuwait, Cairo, and Beirut.

Warner Music Group bought a minority stake in Rotana Music in February 2021.

Rotana’s licensing deal with Spotify marks the music company’s second in as many weeks, after striking an agreement with TikTok on January 11.

Rotana Music also signed a partnership with MENA-focused music streaming service Anghami in April last year, which has seen Rotana’s content made available on the platform worldwide.

A report published by Dubai-based Frankly magazine in November suggested that Spotify is considering buying Anghami.

Prior to its deal with Anghami, music released by Rotana was previously available on Deezer exclusively in the MENA region since 2018.

The IFPI reports that the MENA music market is predominantly made up of streaming, which represents 95.3% of the region’s recorded music revenues.

“I am incredibly proud to announce our partnership with Rotana which will allow us to expand our Arabic music library tremendously and give our users access to over 10,000 songs.”

Mark Abou Jaoude, Spotify

Mark Abou Jaoude, Head of Music MENA & South Asia (excl. India) at Spotify, said in a statement published on LinkedIn: “10,000 New Arabic songs added to the Spotify library. I am incredibly proud to announce our partnership with Rotana which will allow us to expand our Arabic music library tremendously and give our users access to over 10,000 songs.

“You can now stream a variety of over 100 legendary Arab artists from across the region, including Elissa, Abdul Majeed Abdullah, Rashed Al-Majed, Assala Nasri, Majed Almohandis, Rabeh Saqer, Mohammed Abdu, Najwa Karam, Bahaa Sultan and Tamer Hosny.”Music Business Worldwide