TikTok has reached a licensing agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Rotana Music Group.
Founded in 1993, Rotana Music Group is declared “the largest record label and holder of musical repertoire in the Arab world”.
Warner Music Corporation buy minority shares in Rotana Music in February 2021.
Rotana is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with branches in Jeddah, Dubai, Kuwait, Cairo and Beirut.
The company has released music by famous 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.
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.
TikTok says its platform is “extremely popular across the Middle East and North Africa”, a region that sees music market revenue grow 35% in 2021, according to IFPI.
That growth, according to IFPIaffirms MENA as the fastest growing music region in the world.
IFPI reports that the MENA music market is primarily made up of streaming, accounting for 95.3% of the region’s recorded music revenue.
Statistical staff estimate that Saudi Arabia was the country with the highest TikTok reach as of January 2022, with 88% of the country’s population aged 18 and over using the video app.
Rotana Music has also signed a partnership with MENA-focused music streaming service English In April last year, Rotana’s content was made available on the platform worldwide.
Music previously released by Rotana Exclusively on Deezer in the MENA region since 2018.
“We at Rotana are delighted with this licensing agreement, which will make Arabic Music accessible to the MENA music industry and young communities.”
Salem Al Hendi, Rotana Band
Salem Al Hendi, CEO, Rotana Music Group, said: “We at Rotana are delighted with this licensing agreement, which will give Arabic Music access to the audio industry. MENA music and young communities.
“The creative culture at MENA is vibrant and diverse, and this deal will strengthen the exchange of musical content, while promoting and supporting local artists on a proven, leading platform. for short-form videos.
Hari Nair, Head of Music – Middle East, Africa and South Asia, added: “As TikTok continues to grow across the Middle East and North Africa, becoming a cultural force in the region, we do. Excited to bring the largest independent portfolio to our platform.”
Hari Nair, TikTok
Hari Nair, Head of Music – Middle East, Africa and South Asia, added: “As TikTok continues to grow across the Middle East and North Africa, becoming a cultural force in the region, we do Excited to bring the largest independent catalog to our platform.
“Rotana Music Group represents some of the biggest names in music, spanning multiple genres and countries, and we know our community will be inspired by this repertoire to create their own videos. surname.
“TikTok is committed to licensing and ensuring there is a wide variety of sounds in our library for our global community to enjoy.”
In other TikTok news, Bloomberg reported in November that three majors, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Popular music group asking TikTok to share the advertising revenue generated on the platform.
Like mention by MBW in July, the major record companies have reached a so-called ‘acquisition’ agreement with TikTok whereby the platform will pay a sum to use licensed music on their service from portfolio of a large company over a two-year period.
The Financial Times reported in November that the social media giant has global revenue target cut for 2022 is 20%, or at least $2 billion, amid falling e-commerce and ad spend.
Global Music Business
