Country Profile: Egypt

Egypt’s live music scene has seen both setbacks and developments over the years, particularly with international acts. Moussa AbuTaleb, owner of Event House Egypt, reflects on a time when performances by artists like Scorpions and Maroon 5 were thwarted by the political unrest of 2011.

“We had to refund everything,” he says. Since then, Egypt has earned global attention for its electronic music scene, though there is still a noticeable dearth of live opportunities, especially for international mainstream acts.

“We don’t have proper arenas. Usually, we build [temporary venues] for international acts, especially when they want to perform by the pyramids,” AbuTaleb explains. The logistical demands of constructing custom stages make organising these events costly and time-consuming. On the bright side, Egypt has established a solid technical infrastructure to support high-quality events. “From a technical perspective, we have good equipment and support in Egypt that can allow any artist to come here,” he says.

“We don’t have proper arenas. Usually, we build [temporary venues] for international acts, especially when they want to perform by the pyramids”

However, the financial implications of hosting international acts remain a major headache. Competing for acts with the wealthier Gulf nations means it cannot afford the high fees that artists charge in those countries. “Artists sometimes think Egypt is part of the Middle East, and they ask for crazy prices like they would in Dubai or Saudi,” AbuTaleb says. Adding to that, the market has a painfully high 25% entertainment tax and 14% VAT, meaning nearly 40% of ticket sales are consumed by taxes. This makes it difficult for promoters to offer competitive prices or break even. “Our currency devaluation and these taxes make it so much harder to host international acts,” AbuTaleb admits.

Despite these hurdles, electronic music has become Egypt’s calling card on the global stage. Festivals featuring DJs such as Keinemusik have been highly successful, with events at iconic locations drawing huge crowds. “Keinemusik sold more than 12,000 tickets, with prices ranging from $150 to $1,500,” AbuTaleb says, noting that audiences don’t mind paying premium prices for such events.

“It’s all digital here”

When it comes to marketing, digital platforms have proven to be the most effective. “It’s all digital here,” AbuTaleb asserts. This is preceded by careful artist selection, with AbuTaleb working closely with ticketing partners who conduct research to gauge demand and pricing strategies.

AbuTaleb is eager to work with managers and agents to build internationall artists’ presence in Egypt as part of a long-term strategy but has noticed that, “Egypt is not on the plan usually,” and often gets overlooked in favour of more established markets. He says the country’s promoters face an uphill battle convincing acts to make Egypt a regular stop.

Meanwhile, local appetite for live music is growing. “Our local acts have been doing very well. We have three or four artists who usually sell more than 20,000 tickets,” AbuTaleb reports.

In addition to Event House, other key promoters bringing international acts to Egypt include Nacelle and Dino Activations.