Music, Without Borders - Spotify And The Rise Of MENA Talent

As Spotify expands across the Middle East and North Africa, the question is no longer whether the region’s music can travel it already does. The real issue isn't reach, but power who captures the value created, and whether global platforms are helping build durable creative economies or simply scaling distribution.

- By Samar Khouri

Since Spotify launched in MENA in 2018, streaming has reshaped the region's music industry at speed. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's Global Music Report 2025, streaming accounted for 99.5% of recorded music revenues in MENA, with the region posting growth of 22.8% in 2024 – the fastest of any global market.

Artists are also cashing in. In 2024, Saudi artists generated more than $3.5 million in royalties on Spotify, a 76% year-on-year increase and more than double the total recorded in 2022, according to Spotify's first Saudi Loud & Clear report. The timing of the report's release in October 2025 was driven by strong growth in Arabic-language content and rising revenue for Saudi creators, says Gustav Gyllenhammar, Spotify's Senior Vice President for Markets & Subscriptions. “We felt it was kind of a coming-of-age of an industry that had been sort of smaller before and less mature. Now it was really at the inflection point of being meaningful and we wanted to be part of that.” At the time, the industry's smaller scale reflected market infrastructure and government investment, though the Saudi music scene has steadily grown with increasing support.

Spotify's latest move in the region – a partnership with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority in January 2026 – is not only framed as talent development, but it also signals a deeper strategic play. “Working with an institution that puts creators and culture at the centre of its strategy feels natural to how we operate," Gyllenhammar says. "We always want to collaborate, openly, to deliver for the creative community. Together, we're focused on strengthening the local music ecosystem, supporting discovery, nurturing talent, and helping music coming out of Dubai reach audiences globally." Spotify's Dubai hub now supports operations across MENA with a team of over 50 staff.