TikTok strikes licensing take care of Warner-backed Rotana Music Group

TikTok has struck a licensing settlement with Saudi Arabia’s Rotana Music Group.

Established in 1993, Rotana Music Group is claimed to be “the most important file label and music repertoire holder within the Arab world”.

Warner Music Group bought a minority stake in Rotana Music in February 2021.

Rotana is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with branches in Jeddah, Dubai, Kuwait, Cairo, and Beirut.

The corporate has launched music from distinguished artists together with Mohamad Abdo, Abdulmajeed Abdullah, Rabeh Saqer, Rashed Al Majed, Abdullah Al Ruwaished, Nawal Al Kuwaitia, Majid Al Mohandis and different stars from the Gulf area.

Rotana’s catalog additionally consists of music by artists equivalent to 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 that its platform is “vastly in style throughout the Center East and North Africa”, a area the place recorded music market revenues grew by 35% in 2021, according to IFPI.

That progress, based on the IFPI, confirmed MENA to be the fastest-growing music area on the earth.

The IFPI experiences that the MENA music market is predominantly made up of streaming, which represents 95.3% of the area’s recorded music revenues.

Statista estimates that Saudi Arabia was the nation with the best TikTok attain as of January 2022, with 88% of the countrys inhabitants aged 18 and older utilizing the video app.

Rotana Music additionally signed a partnership with MENA-focused music streaming service Anghami in April final yr, which has seen Rotana’s content material made obtainable on the platform worldwide.

Music launched by Rotana was beforehand available on Deezer exclusively within the MENA area since 2018.

“We at Rotana are very thrilled with this licensing settlement, which can facilitate Arab Music attain into the MENA music business and younger communities.”

Salem Al Hendi, Rotana Music Group

Mr. Salem Al Hendi, CEO, Rotana Music Group, mentioned: “We at Rotana are very thrilled with this licensing settlement, which can facilitate Arab Music attain into the MENA music business and younger communities.

“The inventive tradition in MENA is so vibrant and numerous, and this settlement will improve the change of music content material, whereas selling and supporting native artists on a confirmed main platform for short-form movies.

Hari Nair, Head of Music – Center East, Africa and South Asia, added: “As TikTok continues to develop throughout the Center East and North Africa, turning into a cultural pressure within the area, we’re delighted to convey the most important impartial catalog to our platform.”

Hari Nair, TikTok

Hari Nair, Head of Music – Center East, Africa and South Asia, added: “As TikTok continues to develop throughout the Center East and North Africa, turning into a cultural pressure within the area, we’re delighted to convey the most important impartial catalog to our platform.

“Rotana Music Group represents a few of the biggest names in music, spanning a number of genres and international locations and we all know our group might be impressed by this repertoire for their very own video creations.

“TikTok is dedicated to licensing and making certain a broad, numerous vary of sounds in our library for our international group to get pleasure from.”

In different TikTok information, Bloomberg reported in November that the three majors, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group are asking TikTok for a share of promoting revenues generated on the platform.

As covered by MBW in July, the most important file corporations have struck so-called ‘buy-out’ agreements with TikTok, which see the platform pay a lump sum to make use of licensed music throughout its service from a significant’s catalog for two-year durations.

The Monetary Instances reported in November that the social media large was cutting its global revenue target for 2022 by 20%, or by no less than $2 billion, amid a decline in promoting spending and e-commerce.

Music Enterprise Worldwide