XP Music Futures announces return to Riyadh
XP Music Futures – the Middle East and North Africa’s prominent conference dedicated to amplifying the region’s music and creative scene, has officially announced dates for this year’s event.
Taking place from 7-9 December in Riyadh, this year’s XP will not only hone the surging and ongoing success of the region’s nightlife industry – the fastest growing in the world, but will create a vibrant playground of collaboration and creativity for artists and professionals in the region. Widely considered the most forward-thinking gathering of music leaders in the region, XP Music Futures aims to stimulate the new generation of music professionals in the wider MENA region, while sparking collaborations with the global music community.
XP Music Futures will offer new formats to its visitors including Arabic sessions and workshops, as well as mixers to bring international and regional talent together. The conference will also offer networking forums and demo labs, showcasing the latest technologies in the music industry to participants, and will be building its programme on four pillars: talent, scene, impact, and innovation.
2023 will also see XP focus on its commitment to mentor and build communities
2023 will also see XP focus on its commitment to mentor and build communities, announcing the introduction of a new addition to XP’s efforts in developing the scene in the region: Hunna. Composed of two integral parts, the Hunna initiative is a groundbreaking initiative designed as a platform and safe space for women in the music industry to gain the necessary mentorship to develop their skills and careers, while also collectively disrupting the outdated and non-equitable systems in the music industry at large.
The first part of the Hunna programme will pair rising female talent with experts in their field for a three-month mentorship programme, kicking off in June. By creating meaningful connections, the Hunna programme aims to connect women in the music industry, to foster a stronger, more equitable, music ecosystem. The second part of the Hunna programme will organise a gathering of minds at this year’s XP Music Futures, focusing on difficult yet necessary conversations at this year’s conference, such as female representation and equity in music spaces. Between initiatives like this, and a 2022 speaker lineup that was 44% women, it’s easy to see why many are considering XP Music Futures a true testament to diversity.
This year’s conference will also see the return of XPerform, a competition for vocalists giving vocal talent in the region the chance to show what they’ve got on the stages of XP Music Futures while also growing their career with the eponymous MDLBeast Records. We are excited to announce that YouTube is officially sponsoring the initiative, aimed at discovering and nurturing emerging musical talent in the Middle East.
As part of the partnership, Liliana Abudalo – head of YouTube Music, Mena, will join the panel of judges to help select the top talent, alongside Matthew Dicks, Banah Anabtawi, Karima Damir and LilEazy. Last year saw hundreds of singers submit applications, with the Top 5 entries being flown to Riyadh for a live performance in front of a panel of expert judges. After the dust had settled, Saudi vocalist Asayel has crowned the winner, acting as the catalyst for the thrilling next chapter of her career. Now ready to bring the next great vocal talent to the limelight.
XP Music Futures 2023 promises to be an eye-opening experience that brings together the brightest minds and talents from music, tech, and business
Another new innovation the conference will be showcasing this year is XP Presents. XP Presents will be focusing on a specific region every year to showcase its diversity and to highlight its culture to the XP audience. This initiative will encourage cultural exchange and the celebration of cultural diversity. This year, the spotlight will be on South Korea, known for its thriving pop culture, including K-pop music, Korean dramas, and Korean films. With cutting-edge technology, the country is also driving the innovation in the musical and cultural fields, contributing to the South Korea’s rich and vibrant culture.
Next to a busy programme for this year’s conference, the XP team has been organising smaller scale focus group workshops around the region called XChange. With this workshop, they are curating a panel, workshop, showcasing performances and a networking mixer in Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Amman, and Riyadh, leading up to the conference in December. XChange doesn’t just increase XP’s impact on the entire MENA region, it also allows the team to get an even better insight into each local scene and to tailor XP Music Future’s programme to the wishes and needs of the whole region to offer the best quality of sessions and workshops during the annual three-day conference in Riyadh.
Speakers for this year’s event will be announced shortly, but the conference has unveiled that it will be opening its doors to aspiring professionals and enthusiasts of all ages for the very first time, offering workshops and activities for children and families as well.
Continuing to chase its goal of expanding opportunities for music industry professionals of all backgrounds, inspiring future generations, and laying the groundwork for establishing equitable industry policies for growth within the MENA region, XP Music Futures 2023 promises to be an eye-opening experience that brings together the brightest minds and talents from music, tech, and business. Join as XP uncovers the unseen from 7-9 December and personally take part in shaping the future of the global music industry.
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Anghami acquires concerts firm Spotlight Events
Anghami, the largest music streaming service in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), has acquired Dubai-based event management company Spotlight Events.
Aiming to unlock synergies and opportunities between the physical and digital worlds, the partnership will see Spotlight Events become Lebanon-based Anghami’s concerts arm, including for offline activities and activations.
Anghami’s technology will provide access to exclusive concerts through its live video streaming capabilities, as well as via creating immersive experiences through AR and VR. Fans will be offered exclusive access to private concerts, VIP lounges, meet and greets and backstage access, in addition to attending concerts either offline or streamed through their devices. Traditional and virtual concerts will be accessible either through tickets or sponsored by brands.
“Our vision is to expand from music streaming to a fully integrated entertainment platform”
“Our vision is to expand from music streaming to a fully integrated entertainment platform that meets our goal of building our own unique category that no other provider can compete with,” says Eddy Maroun, Anghami co-founder and CEO.
“This partnership will allow us to deliver unique experiences to our users while giving artists a stage to perform and reach their fans physically and virtually. Spotlight and Anghami Lab are among a number of initiatives we plan to develop as new business extensions to accelerate our growth and improve our margins while widening the gap with our competitors.”
Launched in 2005, Spotlight is headquartered in Dubai and has six affiliate offices in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.
“Maher [Khawkhaji, Spotlight founder/CEO] has built a great business on solid economics and has proven that live concerts and events are a scalable and profitable business,” adds Maroun.
“Our offline expertise, complemented by Anghami’s reach, data and technical capabilities, is the perfect recipe for success”
Spotlight Events has recently confirmed its programme of upcoming concerts and events in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Paris, Cairo and Riyadh, including seven-concert festival Beat the Heat, organised in collaboration with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing – Dubai (DTCM).
Six concerts are planned for the rest of the year in Abu Dhabi and will be announced at a later date. The schedule also includes a live concert by Wael Kfoury in Paris. Spotlight will also be executing all of Anghami’s events, including Amr Diab Live.
“Anghami is the largest music platform in the MENA region with an incredible number of users and a unique network of partnerships that, once connected to Spotlight, will open doors to amazing opportunities,” says Khawkhaji. “Our offline expertise, complemented by Anghami’s reach, data and technical capabilities, is the perfect recipe for success.
“We look forward to being part of this dynamic team and unleashing the incredible potential to bring the best to music fans, artists and brands and take entertainment to the next level.”
The announcement follows Anghami’s recent IPO on Nasdaq as the first Arab tech company to list on the US stock market.
Last year, the company announced plans to open music venues in Dubai, Riyadh and several other Middle Eastern cities, as well as in the UK and North America.
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