Listen Up

Elie Abou Saleh, commercial director of music streaming service Anghami, says if brands can forge a sound solid identity they can reach their customers’ hearts through their ears.

- Austyn Allison

When was the last time you heard a song that grabbed you by the ears and pulled you back towards your youth – to another time, another place? When were you last driving and a tune came on that made you feel like a hero? Or running with your headphones in and shuffle gave you an Eye of the Tiger boost of training montage motivation?

Elie Abou Saleh (pictured), commercial director of Lebanon-based music-streaming service Anghami, says music is second only to smell among the senses for triggering recall. If you can spark memories you can elicit emotions, and if you can elicit emotions then you can sell stuff. And that’s why every brand should learn to master its own ‘sonic identity’.

Anghami is the Middle East’s answer to services such as Spotify and Apple Music, which hold vast catalogues of music on the cloud, available to listen to from anywhere on demand, but not to own outright.

As well as streaming much the same music as its Western counterparts, Anghami has deals with Arabic music publishers such as MBC Group and Rotana, and much of its exclusive Arabic content can be listened to around the world (international tracks are limited to the MENA region by rights licences).

But while other streaming services tend to rely on paid subscriptions, Anghami follows a ‘freemium’ model, whereby users can choose to pay for uninterrupted music (even data charges are covered by the subscription, through arrangements with telecoms providers) or they can opt for an ad-funded subscription for free.

As such, the power of music in advertising – and vice versa – is a topic close to Abou Saleh’s heart.