Country Profile: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia remains something of a conundrum. The once- closed country continues to open up, and with over 63% of Saudis under 30, there’s certainly a demand for live entertainment.

New venues are being built, such as the 20,000-seat Jeddah Arena, due for completion in December 2025, and a brand-new, 45,000-capacity stadium in Qiddiya. Riyadh hosts by far the biggest festival in the Middle East, Soundstorm, promoted by MDLBEAST, with Eminem, Muse, and Tyler, the Creator set to headline this year’s edition.

Yet the kingdom’s record of human rights abuses shows no sign of improvement, and there needs to be major work done on event and live show legislation still. “There are still artists that don’t want to go, for obvious reasons,” says Thomas Ovesen, CEO of UAE-based All Things Live. “But the Saudis have successfully chipped away at it and have attracted more and more, including female artists. So there’s definitely a market.”

“The Saudis have successfully chipped away at it and have attracted more and more, including female artists. So there’s definitely a market.”

Ovesen notes that government-backed organisations in Saudi often book music, narrowing the opportunities for commercial promoters at present, and that “outside of family entertainment, there isn’t yet a legal setup that would protect our own promotions well enough. But if we could do business, we would, because it’s a very attractive market. With an audience hungry for entertainment, we just have to work out how it’s done.”

Aside from MDLBEAST, other promoters include UAE-based MAC Global, which operates across the region and recently helped produce Riyadh’s first jazz and opera festivals, Abu Dhabi-headquartered Ethara, SELA, plus the government-owned Ministry of Culture and General Entertainment Authority.
Corporate behemoth Live Nation is also active in the country.

“AlUla Development Company signed a three-year partnership agreement with Live Nation Arabia to manage operations at the multipurpose Maraya venue,” says James Craven, president of Live Nation Entertainment MENA. “The agreement will cement the venue’s position as a premier entertainment hub that will host a wide range of events.”

“The agreement will cement the venue’s position as a premier entertainment hub that will host a wide range of events.”

In terms of the market, contemporary music, K-pop, and EDM are especially popular, as are the West’s biggest stars; various seasonal festivals run across the kingdom, and some provinces also put on festivals. And with constant improvements in the region’s infrastructure and capabilities to host international events, continued growth – and better opportunities – seem likely. “As more venues come online in Riyadh and across the kingdom over the next few years, the market will certainly develop much faster than it has historically,” says Jasper Hope, opera and Broadway advisor to the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.

Further developments are being made to support emerging talent, says Dan Goldberg of MAC Global. “The Music Commission in KSA is doing some remarkable work in providing a platform for emerging talent and nurturing the next generation of artists and musicians.”