Independent UK ticketing platform Skiddle has announced a new integration with music streaming giant Spotify.

Through the integration, Spotify users will be able to discover gig, club night, and festival listings featuring their favourite artists directly from their profiles.

By navigating to the ‘Events’ tab, fans can explore upcoming shows, select a date, and buy tickets through Skiddle.

“Our team has put a lot of work into bringing the Spotify integration to life, so it’s fantastic to see it now live,” says Skiddle’s head of festivals and partnerships, Duncan King. “This collaboration opens up an exciting new marketing channel for our partner promoters, seamlessly linking Skiddle’s intuitive platform with highly engaged music fans on Spotify.

“We envision a world where no Spotify listener misses a concert because they didn’t know it was happening”

“This is just the beginning – the first of many tech partnerships designed to help our promoters sell more tickets while making it easier than ever for fans to discover and book the gigs they love. We’re already integrated with Songkick and Bandsintown, and we’re continuing to expand our network of integrations to ensure events listed on Skiddle are visible in more places, to more people, at the right time.”

Skiddle says the partnership offers event organisers a valuable new channel for ticket sales, while improving the ticket-buying experience of music fans using the platform.

The collaboration comes just weeks after Spotify announced it was rolling out personalised playlist Concerts Near You to help listeners discover upcoming concerts in their area.

“We envision a world where no Spotify listener misses a concert because they didn’t know it was happening,” says Jon Ostrow, head of BD and live music at Spotify. “Our partnership with Skiddle brings us closer to realising that vision by making sure live music fans in the UK can discover more local concerts on Spotify across surfaces like our brand new Concerts Near You playlist.”

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While blockbuster tours come and go, tour films live on in cinemas and in homes to be watched and rewatched long after an artist takes their final bow.

“One of the best places to see a concert is live in a stadium or arena – but everybody gets a front-row seat in the movie theatre,” says Ray Nutt, CEO of US-based speciality film distributor Fathom Entertainment.

Iconic concert films stretch back for decades and can be as simple as show-to-screen translations – think Led Zeppelin’s 1976 The Song Remains the Same documenting their three-night stand at NYC’s Madison Square Garden – or as complex as made-for-film performances with behind-the-scenes footage.

Nowadays, seemingly every major act has a visual project to accompany their live shows, with Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Coldplay, BTS, One Direction, and Miley Cyrus all being standouts from the 21st century.

Concert films have hit a new stride alongside technological advancements and global cinematic and streaming experiences, skyrocketing their reach alongside the post-pandemic touring boom.

“To have a huge global tour captured for prosperity makes sense, but it is a great opportunity for fans who would not otherwise get to experience it”

Let’s Get Digital
Though concert films are not a new venture, the pandemic shifted artists’ projects and delivery to an increasingly digital format.

“Artists are pushing their live shows creatively like never before, and in the digital age, fans seem to value the live experience as the ultimate representation of their favourite artists,” says Tom Colbourne, founder and CEO of Blink. “Fans that attend want to relive the night and all the little details in the show, and for those that couldn’t attend, the filmed show is the next best thing.”

California-based production company Blink specialises in live music and has produced films for Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lady Gaga. Their screen content division is also involved in creating the live performance visuals, giving the firm a unique insight into artistic direction.

With a finite number of tickets available for any tour, films allow fans to join in wherever they are. As the average concert ticket price jumped 36% between 2019 and 2023, according to Statista, giving audiences ‘the best seat in the house’ can help ease the sting of missing out on a sold-out trek or allow them to relive the experience, again and again.

“To have a huge global tour captured for prosperity makes sense, but it is a great opportunity for fans who would not otherwise get to experience it. There’s the financial side, but there’s also just plain engagement and access and democratising of the process,” says Marc Allenby, CEO of Trafalgar Releasing.

“Cinema is undoubtedly the best audio and best visual experience, plus the communal collective”

Trafalgar is the global leader in distribution, delivering concert films like Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé to thousands of theatres worldwide. BTS, Coldplay, Usher, and Laufey have all used Trafalgar’s services for their films, too.

And perhaps the most notable example of demand outweighing supply is Taylor Swift’s record-obliterating Eras Tour, which grossed an estimated $2bn and sold over 10.1m tickets worldwide.

The accompanying film, released halfway through the global trek, documented a condensed show from the tour’s initial North American leg and quickly became the highest-grossing concert film of all time, earning over $261m at the box office before landing on streaming service Disney+.

To Stream or Not to Stream?
There is a fork in the road where artists and management need to decide whether to go the cinema route or direct to streaming.

The answer often lies in the finances, with royalties from ticket sales being one draw for artist teams. For streaming, a flat fee for a set period of licensing is typical; but each deal is unique, with no one-size-fits-all approach.

“Cinema is undoubtedly the best audio and best visual experience, plus the communal collective. With streaming, you’re looking at a wider reach with no limitation on geography or appointment-to-view restrictions. The two co-exist as opposed to compete,” Allenby says.

“Dua wanted to push the boundaries and perform the album in a different way; something very intimate”

“Most management and labels are seeing the financial benefit but also the wider halo benefit of the whole release. There’s marketing profile, prestige, fan engagement, ability to sell merchandise, lots of other kinds of pieces and touchpoints, and ultimately, greater listenership, album sales,” he adds.

Despite being in the midst of her ongoing Radical Optimism Tour, in October, Dua Lipa stopped by London’s Royal Albert Hall (cap. 5,272) to conduct a one-off performance, televised to fans worldwide and recorded for a unique live album.

Featuring the 53-piece Heritage Orchestra, a 14-strong choir, and a seven-piece band, An Evening with Dua Lipa served as a unique gift for the fans: “Dua wanted to push the boundaries and perform the album in a different way; something very intimate, stripping the songs back and then building them up again,” says her manager and father Dukagjin Lipa.

Initially airing to over 1.6m on the UK’s ITV last December, the special was then broadcast to a further 2.9m on the CBS network in the US, before launching on streaming platform Paramount+.

“It’s such an authentic portrayal of the show itself that we wanted people’s living room sofas to essentially be a seat at the Royal Albert Hall,” says Lipa. “But again, we wanted this to be inclusive, so having that window of opportunity to stream it after the fact was also important to us.”

“We’re using very sophisticated robotic cameras that can get into unobtrusive positions in the pit and even up on the stage with the artist”

Meeting fans where they are is a central theme to the conception of concert films, with artists like Dua Lipa being driven to produce an accessible, yet exceptional, version of their live performances.

“From an artist’s perspective, it gives them a platform to reach existing and new audiences, and in our case, we wanted to break down the boundaries of an ordinary show and create something iconic that shone a new light on the music, and ultimately showcased Dua’s world-class performance,” Lipa adds.

The Pros of Production
With the rise of fan-led livestreaming giving a (sometimes shaky) live capture of performances, artists are utilising filming as an extension of their creative vision with proper audio mixing and aesthetically aligned visual components.

Artists are heavily involved in the production process, which can begin up to six months before the filmed event. Depending on the lead time, Blink’s Colbourne says the team meets with promoter and ticketing teams to layout camera placements so as not to disrupt attendee experience – an issue simplified by new technologies.

“We’re using very sophisticated robotic cameras that can get into unobtrusive positions in the pit and even up on the stage with the artist,” he explains. Films are often crafted over multiple shows, depending on the performance’s complexity, with up to 30 cameras and 20 microphones deployed.

Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate went on to reap $8.4m at the box office

For Lady Gaga’s 2024 Chromatica Ball film, which was filmed over just one show at LA’s Dodger Stadium (cap. 56,000), the Blink team used 30 cameras and meticulously planned the filming to ensure the team could capture the elaborate show. Gaga herself was involved from start to finish.

“We spent months in the edit suite with Gaga in person, who directed the film herself and was hands-on with every single cut,” the Grammy Award-nominated Colbourne says.

In-house production companies are also becoming standard for projects of this nature as the artistic vision takes the lead. Swift has Taylor Swift Productions, Beyoncé’s is Parkwood Entertainment, and Dua Lipa enlisted her own Radical22 Productions for her Royal Albert Hall show, alongside London- and Los Angeles-based specialists, Fulwell 73 Productions.

Prior to their 2023 global broadcast (and subsequent film) of their Music of the Spheres shows at Buenos Aires’ River Plate Stadium (cap. 84,567), Coldplay debuted Infinity Station Films to help support their creative vision. Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate went on to reap $8.4m at the box office before being launched on concert and event streaming platform Veeps, with tickets priced at $3.99.

Where the film will be distributed, which is usually decided by the artist’s team at the beginning of the project, can steer how it’s filmed and edited, Colbourne says. Nonetheless, newfangled sound capture and delivery like Dolby Atmos spatial audio can be a powerful tool, “particularly if it’s a theatrical release and you can recreate the stadium sound,” he says.

Supergroup BTS holds four of the top 20 highest-grossing concert films of all time, raking in a gross of over $88.8m

For The Fans
Fans reign supreme as the core demographic for concert films: they’re ticket and merchandise buyers, music streamers, and engagement boosters. Capturing tours for the fan community is a leading, if not the key, motivator for tour-film projects.

Dua Lipa’s Royal Albert Hall special aired in between her shows in Asia in 2024 and 2025’s Australian, European, and North American dates, but “timing-wise, it also felt like the perfect moment to put on a show like this – we were nearing the end of what was a groundbreaking year and wanted to give fans something truly special,” says her manager father.

The medium can also help rising artists, or artists in a specific market, get exposed to new audiences around the world.
Films and streaming have undeniably helped deliver K-pop artists to a global audience. Supergroup BTS holds four of the top 20 highest-grossing concert films of all time, raking in a gross of over $88.8m.

A regional genre gone global, films capturing K-pop stars allow fans worldwide to communally experience tours centred in Asian markets and a glimpse into the greater world beyond the acts themselves.

One firm capitalising on this is Fathom Entertainment, a US-based distribution company that has circulated 83 concert films from artists like Elton John, Andrea Bocelli, André Rieu, and Garth Brooks over the last 20 years, representing roughly $52m in sales.

“Artists are looking for different ways to get their brand out there, and the movie theatre is certainly one of those ways”

Fathom operates the largest live satellite system to theatres in the US, allowing them to livestream (or stream time-delayed) concerts and events onto 2,200 screens in 1,100 domestic theatres – a “very cost-effective way to get a concert or live content,” says CEO Nutt.

Late last year, Fathom broadcast K-pop boyband SEVENTEEN’s [Right Here] World Tour show at Japan’s Kyocera Dome Osaka (51,000) on a time delay to US audiences. As this tour only visited five cities outside of Asia, providing an opportunity for fans to communally experience the show was essential to the group’s distribution.

“Artists are looking for different ways to get their brand out there, and the movie theatre is certainly one of those ways,” Nutt says.

Get the Show On & Off the Road
Audiences are already seeing music projects pop up in new domains as technology continues evolving. Charli XCX and Troye Sivan translated their SWEAT tour into a virtual reality experience through Meta Horizon, while Fortnite and Roblox are increasingly hosting events from stars like Elton John, Travis Scott, Karol G, and The Weeknd.

Perhaps the biggest indicator of where the concert film sector is headed has come in the form of direct-to-platform livestreaming.

“By leveraging our advanced technology and unmatched reach, we are breaking the barriers around privileged access to premium entertainment”

Back in December, Netflix’s Beyoncé Bowl captured her Christmas Day halftime performance at Houston’s NRG Stadium. The platform’s first foray into livestreamed music events paid off with an average live viewership of 27m, plus another 50m views on the standalone special that followed.

In late January, Coldplay delivered one of their “biggest-ever” 132,000-capacity shows at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India on Disney+ Hotstar.

“By leveraging our advanced technology and unmatched reach, we are breaking the barriers around privileged access to premium entertainment and making it available for all, fostering a shared celebration across the country,” said Sanjog Gupta, CEO of Hotstar’s parent company JioStar’s sports division, at the time of the announcement.

Opportunities in the filmed concert space are rife, with unexplored avenues fostering fresh creations. As the visual medium solidifies its place as an extension of an artist’s creative process, it doesn’t look like the credits will roll on concert films anytime soon.

This year promises much more of the same: Linkin Park has a cinematic release on tap after the recently reformed group captured their From Zero album launch show in São Paulo, Brazil – an event also livestreamed locally. It’s more than likely more acts will follow suit as 2025 is set to be another colossal year for touring.

Multiplied revenues, stronger fan connections, and the ability to transform a single local show into a sustained global event – concert films are quickly becoming an essential stage of album and touring cycles. The real question is, what comes next?

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Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate concert film is to have its streaming premiere on Live Nation’s Veeps platform.

Filmed during the band’s sold out, 10-night run at Buenos Aires’ River Plate stadium, the 70,000-cap show in Argentina on 28 October 2022 was screened in thousands of cinemas across more than 80 countries, marking the first ever live worldwide cinema broadcast of a concert from Latin America.

According to Boxoffice Pro, the original broadcast grossed more than $8.4 million at the box office, charting at No.1 in Argentina, Chile, Mexico and the Netherlands.

Coldplay’s 10-night sellout run at the stadium set a new national record, which previously belonged to Roger Waters, who played nine shows at the legendary “Monumental” venue in March 2012 during his The Wall Live tour.

Launched in 2018 by Good Charlotte’s Joel and Benji Madden, Veeps has streamed performances to millions of viewers worldwide for thousands of artists

Veeps will air the film on Saturday 11 May at 12pm PT/8pm BST. The production, which features remixed and remastered sound and visuals captured by BAFTA-winning director Paul Dugdale using 30 cameras, racing drones and 360° filming techniques, will be free to view as a live airing and available on-demand for audiences to rent after the live broadcast for $3.99.

Launched in 2018 by Good Charlotte’s Joel and Benji Madden, Veeps has streamed performances to millions of viewers worldwide for thousands of artists including Billie Eilish, Bob Dylan, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Foo Fighters and Kings of Leon. Live Nation acquired a majority stake in the service in 2021.

The Music of the Spheres trek could see Coldplay become the first band to gross $1 billion from a single tour. At last count it had earned $810.9m, having been attended by 7.66 million fans. This June, the group will become the first act to headline Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage five times. They previously topped the bill in 2002, 2005, 2011 and 2016. The date will mark the band’s only European festival appearance of the year.

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Streaming platform Deezer has pledged its “renewed and strengthened support” to French music festivals this summer under its “Live the Music” banner.

The Paris-headquartered company will continue to work with events such as We Love Green, Garorock, Eurockéennes, Vieilles Charrues, Rock en Seine, Rose Festival, Delta Festival and Golden Coast to curate “unique and immersive” festival experiences.

Promotions include the live version of its “Shaker” feature, which turns a collaborative playlist into a mini-festival with an exclusive dance floor and customised merch, and live music and party series Purple Door, where fans experience their favourite artists in an intimate and exclusive setting.

The streaming service also regularly brings its award-winning Giant Karaoke, after-parties and unique fan activations to events at Paris La Défense Arena, as well as organising exclusive concert series Deezer Sessions Live.

“We’re excited to be back this summer season to create even more unforgettable shared moments”

“Deezer is proud to support festivals in France,” says Deezer CMO Maria Garrido. “We strongly feel that festivals are social and cultural experiences in their own right, uniting fans through live music experiences and creating a sense of belonging.

“For years, we have been committed to offering festival-goers unique and immersive experiences, connecting them in new ways with their favourite artists and with other fans. We’re excited to be back this summer season to create even more unforgettable shared moments.”

The reinforced commitment comes after rival platform Spotify said last December that it was withdrawing its financial support from two French festivals in response to a new tax imposed on streaming services in the country. The so-called “streaming tax” was announced by president Emmanuel Macron’s government following “several months of consultation”, and will require subscription streaming platforms to make a contribution of 1.2% of their turnover in France.

The tax will directly finance France’s National Music Center (CNM), which was created in 2020 to support the wider music industry. Platforms that turnover less than €20 million a year will be exempt. However, Spotify said it would no longer support the Francofolies de La Rochelle and the Printemps de Bourges festivals as a result of the proposal.

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Spotify is partnering with live event discovery platform Bandsintown to help boost concert and festival discovery.

The link-up will see Bandsintown event listings directly integrated into Spotify – driving better engagement and potentially stronger sales for their live events worldwide.

Bandsintown and Spotify say they are teaming up to bridge the gap and ensure every artist gets their deserved spotlight, with Spotify having increased impressions for live events across its platform by 10x in the last 12 months alone.

“Bandsintown is on a mission to help artists get discovered and sell out shows”

“Bandsintown is on a mission to help artists get discovered and sell out shows,” says Fabrice Sergent, co-founder and managing partner of Bandsintown. “With Spotify on board, we are bringing artists and fans closer in a world where every show counts, and every fan matters.”

The free Bandsintown for Artists platform gives artists full control of their event listings, providing a more complete and accurate pipeline of data to Spotify. By linking their Spotify profiles and publishing their shows on Bandsintown, artists can instantly amplify their reach through Spotify’s live event listings on the platform, including across artist pages, the dedicated Live Events Feed, and the Now Playing View.

“Our partnership with Bandsintown reinforces our commitment to help artists connect with and monetise their fanbases,” adds Jon Ostrow, associate director, growth & discovery, live events at Spotify. “With more concert listings and data directly sourced from artists, this integration gives artists more control to update their tour schedules on Spotify and ultimately improves the fan experience of discovering and purchasing tickets,”

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Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour concert film is arriving on Disney + globally on 15 March, with five additional songs.

The streaming service will make available ‘Taylor’s Version’ of the film, which includes the performance of ‘Cardigan’ and four acoustic songs that were cut out of the theatrical release.

In January, The Eras Tour concert film became the highest-grossing concert/documentary film in box office history with more than US$261.6 million earned globally.

The new record sees The Eras Tour usurp Michael Jackson’s This Is It, which opened in 2009 and grossed $261.2m at the global box office.

In January, The Eras Tour concert film became the highest-grossing concert/documentary film in box office history

Upon the film’s release in October 2023, The Eras Tour made $92.8m in North America and $30.7m internationally for a cumulative total of $123.5m, making it the biggest opening weekend of all time for a concert film.

Earlier this week, Swift announced at the Grammy Awards that she is set to release a new album, titled The Tortured Poets Department, in April.

The record will mark her 11th studio album and follows her 2022 record Midnights, and more recently the singer’s re-recordings of Speak Now and 1989.

Elsewhere at the Grammy Awards, the superstar was awarded Album Of The Year for Midnights, marking her fourth win in the category. With the win, Swift is now the all-time leader in Album Of The Year wins, setting a new record.

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Spotify has announced it is withdrawing its financial support from two French festivals in response to a new tax imposed on streaming services in the country.

The so-called “streaming tax”, which comes into effect in 2024, was announced by president Emmanuel Macron’s government following “several months of consultation”, and will require subscription streaming platforms to make a contribution of 1.2% of their turnover in France.

The tax will directly finance France’s National Music Center (CNM), which was created in 2020 to support the wider music industry. Platforms that turnover less than €20 million a year will be exempt.

As a result of the proposal, Spotify says it will no longer support the Francofolies de La Rochelle and the Printemps de Bourges festivals from next year onwards.

“Following the announcement of the implementation of a tax on music streaming in France, we regret to announce that Spotify France will stop supporting the Francofolies de la Rochelle and the Printemps de Bourges, from 2024, financially and through activations on the ground,” says Spotify France MD Antoine Monin on X.

The CNM is currently funded by a 3.5% levy on ticket sales for shows, a contribution from the state to cover operating costs, and support from rights management organisations.

Monin says the Swedish streaming giant, which campaigned for a voluntary contribution instead of the tax, will focus its attention on emerging artist initiatives the Chantier and the iNOUïs, adding: “Other announcements will follow in 2024.”

“France does not encourage innovation and investment”

The announcement of the streaming tax, which is intended to generate €15 million next year, was welcomed by groups including French live association Prodiss, whose director Malika Séguineau described it as “the only device which allows the CNM to be provided with sustainable and balanced financing”.

“We are delighted that the government has taken this decision, supported by deputies and senators,” added Séguineau. “After long months of consultation and discussions, we must now look to the future, with a fully operational CNM from 2024 serving the ambition for the music industry.”

However, the move was criticised in a joint statement by giants Apple, Deezer, Meta, Spotify, YouTube and TikTok, which claimed they had reached an agreement to raise a voluntary contribution of more than €14m in 2025.

A Spotify spokesperson slammed the proposed tax as an “inequitable, unjust and disproportionate measure”, with Monin warning the firm would “disinvest in France and will invest in other markets”.

“France does not encourage innovation and investment,” he told Franceinfo. “France will no longer be a priority for Spotify.”

France is the world’s sixth largest recorded music market according to the IFPI, generating €920m in recorded music revenue in 2022.

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French live association Prodiss has welcomed the introduction of a new tax on music streaming services in France to support the wider sector.

The move, which comes into effect in 2024, has been announced by the government following “several months of consultation”. It will directly finance the National Music Center (CNM), which was created in 2020 to help the music industry’s various stakeholders, including labels, publishers, venues and promoters.

“The tax contribution of subscription streaming platforms and free content sharing platforms will be 1.2% of their turnover in France,” reads a press release from the Ministry of Culture. “Platforms with a turnover of less than €20 million will not be subject to this new contribution, which is expected to bring in €15 million in 2024.”

According to Tous Les Festivals, the CNM is currently funded by a 3.5% levy on ticket sales for shows, a contribution from the state to cover operating costs, and support from rights management organisations.

Prodiss director Malika Séguineau has backed the move, saying it is “the only device which allows the CNM to be provided with sustainable and balanced financing”.

“We are delighted that the government has taken this decision, supported by deputies and senators,” says Séguineau. “After long months of consultation and discussions, we must now look to the future, with a fully operational CNM from 2024 serving the ambition for the music industry.”

“France will no longer be a priority for Spotify”

However, the announcement has been criticised in a joint statement by giants Apple, Deezer, Meta, Spotify, YouTube and TikTok, which claim they have reached an agreement to raise a voluntary contribution of more than €14m in 2025.

According to the IFPI, France is the world’s sixth largest recorded music market, generating €920m in recorded music revenue in 2022.

“We take note of the government’s decision, which does not take into account the efforts made by many platforms including Spotify,” a Spotify spokesperson tells AFP, via Euronews. “This is a real blow to innovation, and to the growth prospects of recorded music in France. We are evaluating the follow-up to be given to the implementation of this inequitable, unjust and disproportionate measure.”

In addition, Spotify France CEO Antoine Monin describes the tax as “a monumental strategic error which goes against the issues of economic, cultural and European technology”, and warns the firm will “disinvest in France and will invest in other markets”.

“France does not encourage innovation and investment,” he tells Franceinfo. “France will no longer be a priority for Spotify.”

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TEG-owned ticketing, data and analytics firm Ticketek has become a ticketing partner for Spotify’s Live Events Feed in Australia.

The link-up will provide users of the streaming service with direct access to the latest Ticketek events through Spotify’s platform, in an effort to enhance the convenience and accessibility of live event discovery when using the app.

“Ticketek is thrilled to be joining forces with Spotify on this partnership,” says Ticketek MD Cameron Hoy. “Both organisations are global leading technology and data driven businesses that exist to connect fans with their favourite artists.

“With this partnership, Ticketek and Spotify will fuel artist discovery and bring fans one step closer to their favourite artists”

“With this partnership, Ticketek and Spotify will fuel artist discovery and bring fans one step closer to their favourite artists, creating a seamless ticket purchase experience. At Ticketek we believe nothing beats the live experience and this alignment will ensure Australian music fans have every opportunity to see their favourite artist when they are touring locally.”

Fans will be presented with personalised recommendations for upcoming shows based upon their unique profile.

“Spotify is very excited to be adding Ticketek to its Live Events Feed in Australia, in order to continue growing the company’s global strategy of diving headfirst into concert discoverability,” adds Rene Volker, Spotify senior director of live events.

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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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