“You can simply see that by what Riyadh is doing, what XP in the Middle East is doing. I mean, who would have ever thought one of the biggest music festivals would happen here in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi? I’m honored to be here.”
— Rawan Al Dabbas Regional Director,“THE ECOSYSTEM IS CHANGING.”
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry MENA
The XP Outcomes Report communicates the vision and ideals of the annual XP Music Futures Conference hosted in Riyadh, KSA, from 28-30 November 2022. MDLBEAST commissioned VibeLab to prepare the XP Outcomes Report.
A global creative community of music industry professionals from varied backgrounds came together at XP Music Futures over three days to discuss and demonstrate how to stimulate a creative economy, map infrastructures from the underground, enhance local initiatives, and drive innovative opportunities. XP’s sessions were designed to inspire and guide artists, entrepreneurs, and policy-makers on how to shape their music futures in the MENA region.
The XP Outcomes Report was researched, written, and designed by VibeLab. It draws upon transcripts, interviews, and data from the 80 XP Day program sessions and 164 XP Nite performances. The Report features portraits and polaroids of guest speakers, street photography, and reportage photography of both the Day program sessions and XP Nite performances.
MDLBEAST is an entertainment company rooted in music culture. Based in Saudi Arabia and offering experiences in the MENA region and globally, it invests in talent, production, and content. As a lifestyle and entertainment experience brand, MDLBEAST creates unmatched experiences and music events in Saudi Arabia and the region and supports music in the Middle East.
VibeLab is a purpose-driven advocacy, consultancy, and research agency. Launched in 2018, VibeLab has offices in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Berlin, Germany; and Sydney, Australia. VibeLab has led programming, events, initiatives, and research in 125 creative cities and places over the past four years. VibeLab translates the elusive into helpful, hard numbers. VibeLab measures the creativity of cities, places, and events, as well as the cultural engagement of communities.
Acknowledgements
Putting on a music conference that is impact-driven, communityoriented and fun, is no small feat. The XP team would like to thank all of our partners, F&B and retail vendors, artists, speakers and hosts that contributed to the success of XP Music Futures 2022.
MDLBEAST (XP Founder, Creator)
9SS (XP Creative & Branding)
Ginger Owl (XP Logistics)
KARV Communications (XP Communications)
LIGHTBLUE (XP Creative & Production)
The Media Nanny (XP Communications)
Production Glue (XP Production)
Science & Sunshine (XP Marketing & Communications)
VibeLab (XP Day Programming & Booking, Outcomes Report)
All images by: Raymond van Mil (Excluding pages 11, 57 & 123)
KSA’s annual XP Music Futures goal is to expand opportunities for music industry professionals of all backgrounds, inspire future generations, and help lay the groundwork for establishing equitable industry policies for growth in the MENA region.
The second edition of XP Music Futures was held in Riyadh on November 28 - 30, 2022. More than 2,500 people from 30 countries attended the three-day event, which included the XP Day and XP Nite programs. XP Day featured 228 speakers and 76 conference sessions, and XP Nite showcased 157 local and regional acts, with 291 individual artists sharing the stage over three nights of performances.
The XP Outcomes Report highlights vital takeaways from XP Day and XP Nite Programs. The Report delivers insights and critical facts into the MENA music industry and how XP is shaping one of the fastest-growing music regions in the world.
This report illustrates the essential pillars that make music culture and outlines a roadmap for the future of music. These building blocks are TALENT, SCENE, IMPACT, and INNOVATION. These building blocks shape the XP Day and Nite programming, from the interactive workshops, panels, networking sessions, and multiple nightlife performances from the best regional and international labels and artists.
Each of the TALENT sessions at XP Day delivered insights on creating opportunities for next-generation artists, the world-class music education in MENA, and how local and regional artists are doing the impossible.
The SCENE sessions at XP Day focused on developing MENA’s music culture and identity,
and creating a robust music economy. SCENE sessions highlighted the rethinking of event tourism, creating new platforms for regional conversations, music media’s critical role in uncovering stories behind the scene, and the grassroots communities that are pioneering spaces for artists, creatives, and musicians to experiment, connect, inspire and create.
Delivering a better understanding of music ecosystems, sustainability, equality, diversity, and social equity was the feature of the IMPACT sessions at XP Day. Knowledge exchange ranged from social and climate activism, sharing skills transnationally, rescinding existing boundaries to allow progress, and IFPI launching The Official MENA Chart at XP, demonstrating inclusive, representative, and accurate charting.
Tech pioneers anchored in disruption and development defined influence in transforming the region in the INNOVATION sessions at XP Day. Some of the world’s leading tech innovators and creative technologists analyzed the re-making of the festival reality, why MENA is at the forefront of unlocking the power of Web3, and how virtual artists and beings are changing the game in the AI-driven metaverse.
XP Music Futures is uncovering the unseen to the rest of the world, positioning it as a special addition to the global music conference calendar. XP is certain to provide a gateway to an exciting new wave of artists and music rising out of KSA and MENA.
XP Music Futures was produced by MDLBEAST with the support of XP partners Music Commission, JAX District, Noor Riyadh, EMPIRE, Dolby, SceneNoise, Sony Music, Spotify, Alo Yoga and SOWT.
In line with the Kingdom’s ‘2030’ Vision, XP Music Futures is part of a larger effort to transform the music and cultural sector in Saudi Arabia. By assembling people from the MENA region and beyond to engage in discussions, workshops, and artistic exchanges, the three-day conference in Riyadh is an opportunity to prototype the future of Saudi’s music industry. This endeavor would not be possible without the support of the Ministry of Culture Music Commission, the official partner of XP Music Futures, the venue provider JAX District, and the participation of partners from the Saudi Music Hub, the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, the Ministry of Sports, and the Ministry of Media.
Established in 2020 under the Ministry of Culture, the Music Commission oversees the development of the Kingdom’s music sector. The Commission seeks to increase access to music education in Saudi, empower local talent, and help realize the sector’s economic contribution through job creation, sector regulation, and the development of world-class infrastructure. In addition, the Music Commission aims to nourish Saudi’s rich musical heritage and identity through measures such as XP Music Futures.
Supported by the Ministry of Culture, JAX District opened in 2021 to provide physical spaces to support the growing arts ecosystem in Riyadh. What began as an industrial area with over 100 warehouse spaces in Ad-Diriyah has been revitalized into an epicenter of exhibition spaces, artist studios, art galleries, and other facilities and platforms for local and international artists alike—a perfect home for the diverse and budding creatives of XP Music Futures.
Initiated by the Music Commission, the Saudi Music Hub seeks to deliver high-quality music education across the Kingdom for amateurs and professionals. Housed in three campuses across Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar, the Music Hub offers students first-class facilities, world-renowned faculties, and a comprehensive curriculum featuring Arabic and Western instruments, music production, vocal coaching, and music theory.
With the help of these and other partners, XP Music Futures can contribute to Kingdom-wide efforts of building a vibrant music ecosystem in Saudi.
His Highness Prince Ahmed Bin Sultan Al Saud, also known by the artist alias Saham, is a Saudi composer with over 15 years of experience composing melodies for some of the most significant contemporary artists from the Arab world. Saham has composed over 200 songs, including more than 20 national songs. His works have been released on over 31 albums. He has collaborated with more than 23 artists, including Saudi singer Rabeh Saqer, Syrian musician Assala Nasri, Emirati artist Ahlam, and Iraqi singer and composer Majid Al Mohandis. Most recently, Saham helped compose 11 works for Tunisian singer Oumaima Taleb’s latest release Pour Toujours (2022).
For the panel discussion on Intellectual Property (IP) Rights in the Creative Industry at XP Music Futures, Saham was joined by Habib Achour, Director of International Development at the Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM), and Saudi Authority for
Intellectual Property (SAIP) specialists Abdulaziz Alrabiah, Head of IP Respect Enablement Department, Dr. Alhanoof Aldebasi, Executive Director of Copyright, and Hesham Alarifi, Executive Director of IP Policies. Pulling from their diverse experiences working in the music industry, academia, law, business, and the public sector, the panel discussed the importance of developing a strong IP rights system for Saudi’s creative industries to flourish on a regional and global scale.
Given the industries’ early stages, the Kingdom is positioning itself as a leader by addressing some of the most significant challenges facing the global music industry, including the initiation of SAIP’s National Strategy for creative IP to maximize gains concerning intellectual property and by exploring innovation in collective management organizations (CMOs) in the face of new streaming technologies.
“Even if people don’t speak English, French, Spanish, or Latin or understand the meaning of the lyrics, you will still find them engaging because music is a universal language. I’m sure we will witness Arabic— and Saudi music specifically—reaching the world.”— HH Prince Ahmed Bin Sultan Al Saud (Saham)
Grant systems, funding, studios, rehearsal spaces, and multiple small to midsize venues are integral components for a music ecosystem to blossom. Advocates & Advisors (A&A) board member and founding member of the Arab voice in Hip-Hop, Narcy, said during the Arab Wave 2.0 panel, ”If you have all of those and rotate through them, then you have a culture you start creating.”
The first step to growing a meaningful community is to curate online and offline spaces for groups with shared values. Combining parties, events, radio, podcasts, and social media ensures a local foundation with a global reach. Ghazi Shami noted, “TikTok is amazing. Instagram is amazing. But there’s something to be said about touching people directly.”
XP Music Futures encouraged attendees to keep learning multiple facets of the music industry, such as legal contracts, touring, labels, distribution, NFTs, and CMS (Content Management System). Technological advancements are propelling Saudi Arabia to the forefront of the metaverse. Consequently, increased music and tech industry education will benefit the region and sustain its growth.
Supporting artists to share perspectives on their terms, be it embracing their mixed heritage, regional identity, or singing in multiple languages—authenticity will encourage a sound that comes from a place of sincerity.
Encouraging cross-discipline collaboration between artists, agencies, brands, and music industry professionals helps to grow networks, build trust, learn from one another, expand possibilities and solve problems.
“In this scene, there are so many people more open to learning and open to hearing, and they come with energy. And a lot of taboos we’ve had in the industry are not available here. So this is the time to make your own rules. The genre we’re in now, the region we’re in now, it’s up to us to create.”
— Moody Jones Empire Records.
Given the high percentage of KSA’s population under the age of 30, there is an opportunity for growth through a higher representation of speakers under the age of 30 in future editions of XP Music Futures.
Whilst this gender balance is above average compared to conferences internationally, the obvious goal is to reach a 50/50 balance of female/ male speakers.
The low percentage of speakers from APAC highlights an opportunity to grow representation from this region in future editions of XP Music Futures. APAC and especially South Korea can provide an example of how to develop a strong music industry in KSA and MENA.
XP will continue to push boundaries when it comes to its nighttime activity. As a result, the whole creative ecosystem will be energized, including immersive experiences, dance shows, and improved sessions.
XP's diverse Nite program ushered in a more eclectic demographic of visitors at night. In addition, XP's ambition to broaden the genres represented gives artists a better showcase opportunity to be discovered at XP.
Performance formats
• DJs
• Live acts
• Improvised performances
• Immersive performances
• Dance performances
Male led acts 75%
Female-led
Genres
• Afro-fusion
• Amapiano
• Arab Pop
• Disco
• Electronic
• Footwork
• Hip-Hop
• Indie
• Jazz
• RnB
• Saudi Traditional Folk
Given the close geo proximity of Sub-Saharan Africa to KSA, there is a clear opportunity to increase representation and content from this region at XP Music Futures.
XP Nite is positioned well to test innovations in social design to build better and safer nightlife experiences for all visitors. By focusing on such initiatives in future editions, XP Nite will support an increase in female attendance in 2023.
“I want to collaborate with more artists from the Middle East. We have a lot to say and a lot of music to make.”
— Arooj AftabMaestro Xperience: in conversation with Arooj Aftab
TALENT was the central feature of XP Music Futures. The XP Day and Nite Program speakers and performers included prominent local and international music industry heavyweights and buzzing MENA artists such as Felukah, SHKOON, or The Synaptik. Multiple facets of the industry were represented, from record label execs to booking agents, mix engineers, club promoters to social media strategists. Through numerous workshops, talks, performances, and networking sessions, these diverse and creative individuals demonstrated and inspired the idea that music can be a viable career path and avenue for the region’s growth. In addition, the TALENT sessions highlighted the importance of defining and marketing music authentic to the MENA region and creating a sonic identity that worldwide music communities will celebrate and appreciate.
“There’s an industry that is developing before our very eyes, and you all might end up being the ones running it. Look at the data from Facebook, Instagram, or any social media platform. The
Middle East and the Gulf are among the highest engaged users in the world. You’ve got 70% of the population in this country under the age of 30… I think that we’ve not even seen the tip of the iceberg that we get in the Middle East. These growth numbers are great, but they’re starting from a relatively low point. The next ten years are going to see a renaissance in content creation because of what’s happening. And I think we’re going to see an effect, an Arabic artistic renaissance in all forms.”
“There are three things you need to succeed as a creator: talent, a team, and TikTok... you attract people because they’re attracted to what you’re building. And I don’t want to call myself a visionary, but I have a vision for myself, and people are attracted to that. So what I suggest is to do it yourself and then attract people.”
“CHOOSING WHAT YOU DO PROFESSIONALLY IS YOUR BIGGEST DECISION. YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND MORE TIME WORKING THAN WITH YOUR CHILDREN OR WIFE. INVEST IN SOMETHING YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT, AND THAT IS REALLY THE BEST INVESTMENT YOU CAN MAKE.”
— David Guetta Maestro Xperience: Fireside Chat with David GuettaInsight: Due to XP Music Futures being in its second year, naturally regional attendees for this new conference are drawn to high profile international speakers. The goal for XP 2023 is to have sessions led by female artists and industry leaders be the highest-attended panels and workshops.
1
MAESTRO XPERIENCE: FIRESIDE CHAT WITH DJ KHALED, LARRY JACKSON AND FAT JOE
Moderators: Baloo Ahmad Alammary, Nada Alhelabi, Yasmine Rasool Speakers: Larry Jackson, DJ Khaled, and Fat Joe
2
MATHEW KNOWLES: THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IN A DIGITAL AGE
Moderator: Enjy Kiwan
Speaker: Mathew Knowles
3
MAESTRO XPERIENCE: FIRESIDE CHAT WITH DAVID GUETTA
Moderator: Yasmine Rasool
Speaker: David Guetta
4
MAESTRO XPERIENCE: انايلا ELYANNA ةيبرعلا ةغللاب ةسلج
Moderator: Adel Speaker: Elyanna
5
MAESTRO XPERIENCE: IN CONVERSATION WITH AROOJ AFTAB
Moderator: Jara
Speaker: Arooj Aftab
Maestro Xperience: Fireside Chat with DJ Khaled and Larry Jackson
“There’s change happening. Change is uncomfortable! But it’s an opportunity to modify and adjust to what’s happening around you, be on the ground floor, make an impact, and work together in building opportunities here.”
— Mathew Knowles
“THE ANSWER IS IN THIS ROOM. DON’T RUSH UP HERE TO TAKE A PHOTO—RUSH TO MEET THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM!”
Mathew Knowles, American music executive, entrepreneur, and university lecturer best known for managing Destiny’s Child and Beyoncé, kicked off his XP Day program session, Mathew Knowles: The Fundamentals of the Music Industry In A Digital Age by turning it to the audience. “All the artists: if you are a singer, vocalist, rapper, DJ, stand up.” He then asked the producers and songwriters, the current and aspiring video directors, entertainment attorneys, and label owners to do the same.
His point: “The answer is in this room. Don’t rush up here to take a photo—rush to meet the people in this room!” He urged attendees to build new collaborations with one another, whether it be new songs, music videos, licensing their work into movies and TV, or building connections to help their careers.
Interwoven with stories from the early days of Destiny’s Child, Knowles shared firsthand insights from his career. His tips ranged from what makes the “secret sauce” of a hit song (hint: it’s in the hook) to what makes a label want to work with artists repeatedly. Emphasizing core marketing and clear branding themes— relevant in every era of the music industry— Knowles focused on the big picture of the music ecosystem and hard work, patience, and tenacity, no matter the role.
Knowles dedicated the second half of the session to dialogue with the audience. Attendees, including XP Nite and Soundstorm artists from Riyadh, Dubai, Cape Town, and London, crowded the aisle to ask big questions about career development, breaking into new markets, and building a compelling brand.
Knowles has been quoted encouraging Beyoncé and Solange to “practice failure”: to be ready to respond to performances not going as planned. (Both singers’ famously smooth responses to onstage snags attest to that strategy.) For Knowles, that ethos of seeing challenge as opportunity extends beyond showtime to the development of the Saudi music scene itself.
“You can make great music album after album. It’s a business. Seven, eight albums [were] like a peacock dancing in the forest—no one sees that. It’s a domino effect: if one big publication said it was good, then everyone said it was good. Putting out records is important.”
— Arooj Aftab
Closing day two of the XP Music Futures, singercomposer-producer Arooj Aftab joined Saudi rapper Jara onstage for Maestro Xperience: In Conversation with Arooj Aftab. Aftab made history in 2022 as the first-ever Pakistani artist to win a Grammy. Born in Riyadh, she returned to Saudi Arabia for the first time in decades to play her final show of 2022 at Riyadh’s Soundstorm Music Festival. “It feels very full circle. Twenty-seven years away from Saudi, it’s very surreal.”
As Aftab explained to Jara, the session’s moderator, “home is a lot of different places.” Growing up in Riyadh and Lahore and building her career in New York City, she sings in Urdu and English and draws inspiration from musical styles, including jazz, minimalism, and neo-Sufi.
“There are people like us who have inherited many different heritages, and that’s okay. Our work reflects that. It’s less geographical; it’s the feeling of a place or the people you know there. Home can be anywhere.” Aftab continues, “There are not many people like us, doing what we do. It’s constantly teaching people how to treat you. Some white guitar players play three chords and can headline Coachella. We have to educate people and the press everywhere we go.”
Aftab’s Grammy win, though, is validating: “It’s such an insanely romantic, mainstream, huge thing that suddenly gives you so much attention. However, it really solidified all the work that I have been doing in the dark. It was reassuring and motivating. As artists, we go through imposter syndrome: what is this thing that I am doing? Is it even good? Then a big thing like this happens, giving you recognition—and makes me want to keep making more!”
She closed with advice for Jara and aspiring musicians, “sister to sister, artists to artists”:
“Consistently build a body of work.”
“Seek proper representation.”
“You can make great music album after album. It’s a business. Seven, eight albums [were] like a peacock dancing in the forest—no one sees that. It’s a domino effect: if one big publication said it was good, then everyone said it was good. Putting out records is important.”
“To me, the aim is to make our traditional sounds enjoyed globally. Just as amapiano is making a huge buzz, just as Afrobeats, we deserve a seat at the table. I think our sounds are infectious.”
Iraqi rapper and early-2000s Arab hip-hop pioneer Narcy joined rising artists, London-based DJ and radio host Nooriyah, Riyadh singer and cultural strategist Nourah, and PalestinianAlgerian-French-Serbian musician Saint Levant in the Arab Wave 2.0 session to reflect on the challenges and blessings of coming up and working as an Arab artist.
The core theme discussed was the power of music and how it conveys the richness and history of the MENA region. In an homage to her Saudi roots, Nooriyah explains, “To me, the aim is to make our traditional sounds enjoyed globally. Just as amapiano is making a huge buzz, just as Afrobeats, we deserve a seat at the table. I think our sounds are infectious.”
Nooriyah’s mission is to spotlight the MENA region’s music worldwide. She’s bringing it to all channels: residencies on Foundation FM and Plus 1 Radio, her Instagram series highlighting Arabic sampling in music, festivals from New York to Glastonbury to Dubai—and most recently, her Middle of Nowhere party’s Boiler Room premiere.
Music infrastructure still has to catch up. Nooriyah observes that Western influence can be “insidious.” “Even on Ableton and software where you produce music, it’s much harder to play outside of the Western scale. You have to use all these plugins to get the traditional microtones.”
But the Arab Wave 2.0 panelists recognize that the pace of change has been rapid. They shared hopes for more accessible spaces for music in Saudi Arabia. Nooriyah envisions “spaces where women and people at large can go to DJ, to learn and practice at an affordable rate. Pirate Studios adjacent, but in the Middle East.” Similarly, Narcy advocates for “studios, grant systems, and access to those studios through those grant systems. Venues for performances on every level: a 300-person venue, a 1000-person venue, a 7000-person venue, and arenas and public spaces… [Then] you have a culture that you start creating.”
Asked to share one wish for this emerging generation of Arab musicians, Narcy doesn’t hesitate: “No censorship, just freedom. The ability to say what you want at all times. Not making it an industry first, making it a culture. Culture over commerce. And a loving community.”
In the community-driven, TikTok-based talent show Sound of Saudi, KSA Music Commission and MENA-leading streaming platform Anghami hunted for the top ten upcoming talents of 2022. The top ten contestants were awarded the opportunity to have an original track produced and receive release support from Anghami.
Opened in 2020, Berklee Abu Dhabi set out to transform arts education in the Middle East, developing “a curriculum that is representative and targeted to the needs and interests of the region” rather than “copying the model and curriculum of other schools,” says Berklee Abu Dhabi Artistic Director and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Mayssa Karaa.
In Beirut, hybrid cultural center Station runs Shuruq, a music development initiative strengthening and promoting independent music in Lebanon and the MENA region that offers music training, content creation, and live events.
“Everything here is a blank sheet of paper. You can build your own business industry, your own image, your own way. You don’t have to say what are the best practices in the US or the UK. Those are all best practices from a different industry, from a different time. You can create your own”, says Shridhar Subramaniam, President of Corporate Strategy & Market Development for Asia and the Middle East, Sony Music Entertainment.
Alsarah and the Nubatones put together an alllocal team to produce their music video, ‘Men Ana.’ “We did what is considered impossible in Sudan, and we did it independently. I wanted to do that really to show myself and to everyone around me the quality of work we can get out of Sudan. Even under such duress. So imagine what we can do if we had more opportunities”, said Alsarah.
Encourage young people to share their own stories on their terms. In local, experimentalfriendly spaces.
Encourage artists from different parts of the world, even cross-genres, to collaborate. Tap into each other’s audiences, inspire and create new and original genres, concepts, and sounds.
Engaging a strong regional fan base is fundamental to reaching global success. Artists, producers, labels, promotors, managers—local initiatives, build the music industry from the bottom up.
Integrate music education into all schools across the MENA region and not only in the big cities. Raise awareness around the benefits of quality music education for all.
Try out different social media platforms. Dig into online data such as streaming statistics and harness the full potential of all tools, such as Spotify for Artists’ data, to plan tours strategically and generate greater audiences.
Building careers on consistency, doing things intentionally, and creating music that emerges from a place of sincerity is seen as the key component to building sustainable, lasting artist careers.
Reinvent music production software geared at producing non-Western scales and sounds because “our sounds deserve a seat at the table,” says international DJ Nooriyah.
Instruct artists to familiarize themselves with the Intellectual Property Law guidelines to control their IP use and protect their work from unlicensed or uncredited usage.
“A community is never really started from scratch. It goes from something organic to intentional. Saudi is the perfect example; it’s always been an underground scene, and there’s been talent around, but everyone was working in silos. Communities are now being built because there’s infrastructure being put in place to build spaces for people”
— Tanya Awad XP Activations and Music Program Manager - Creating Experiential EventsThe SCENE pillar centered on enriching and growing audiences organically to create a robust music economy in the MENA region.
The XP Music Futures Day Program SCENE sessions explored the importance of nurturing community-led spaces, networks, and values. Increasing grassroots, small, and mid-size music venues to establish and help emerging artists develop community connections. There was an emphasis on residencies to give artists safer spaces for experimenting and connecting. In addition, there were requests for more XChange workshops in different regional contexts to help encourage interdisciplinary participation. The sessions also emphasized the importance of building communities through increasing IRL events, radio shows, and podcasts. Speakers drew parallels between music and sports and how to create immersive experiences to capture diverse audiences.
“The Music Commission is working very closely with nightlife actors. And building off this unveiling... Saudis have always had this culture of nightlife— with all traditional forms of music and gatherings— and now what we’re doing is to increase or at least provide support. So considering that there are a lot of new sectors, music, fashion, and visual arts, they’ve been around, but they were somewhat low profile. We need decent infrastructure. So what do you need as artists? We need galleries. As chefs, you need kitchens. As musicians, you need venues. So the first thing we are trying to do is establish more venues, provide that accessibility, give more support to the private sector, and then start building itself within that frame.”
“THERE IS A HUGE MARKET TO EXPLORE, AND SAUDI IS A PROTAGONIST. WE NEED TO ENABLE THIS SECTOR AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.”
— Stefania Garibaldi
Balich Wonder Studio Managing DirectorSports x Music: Drivers of Growth
Insight: Delegates are genuinely interested in what’s happening on the ground in KSA. The highest attended sessions in the SCENE pillar reflect this, focused on the development of the local scene. This indicates a bright future from the grassroots level to blockbuster mainstream events.
1
SPORTS X MUSIC: DRIVERS OF GROWTH
Moderators: Yasmine Rasool and Nada Alhelabi
Speakers: R3hab, Mai Alhelabi, Stefania Garibaldi, Sajid Sayeed
2
THE FUTURE OF SAUDI NIGHTLIFE AND ITS GLOBAL PARTY AMBITIONS
Moderator: Rebecca Proctor
Speakers: Alaa Aloweiny, Tamer Antabi, Khulood Turkistani, Baloo Ahmad
Alammary, Abdulrahman Bakhsh, Omar Fayyad
3
HOW TO BRAND YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST
Moderator: Valentina Palange
Speakers: Lydia Laws, Cosmicat (Nouf Suyani), Alexandra Preusche, Niko Seizov
4
MUSIC AND BUSINESS: WHY BOTH OF THESE WORLDS ARE IMPORTANT
Moderator: Arabian Prince (Kim Renard Nazel)
Speakers: Emilien Moyon, Cassy, Watse de Jong, Ghazi Shami
5
HYPEBEAST PRESENTS: THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Moderator: Daniyal Khan
Speakers: Casandra O’Grady, Al Kindi (CHNDY), Huan Nguyen, Amy Roko
“With the rich and dynamic sounds, knowledge, and culture coming together, I can only hope each and every one of us pays it forward. It is only the beginning of many more!”
— Natasha Stambuli
Many brands speak about community-building when they’re actually talking about building consumer relationships. Turning fan bases into communities takes time, effort—and a lot of love. XP Music Futures brought together journalists, musicians, and entrepreneurs, representing scenes from Miami to Morocco and Dubai to South Korea, to discuss how they evolve their audiences into genuine communities.
Natasha Stambuli is the award-winning General Manager of BoomPlay Tanzania and a new Grammys Recording Academy member. She observes in the XP Day Program panel discussion, Building an Audience Vs Building a Community, “It’s very easy now to build an audience on social media. But what does it mean? Are these viewers loyal enough to be a community? The people who are actually streaming day in and day out, the loyal people saying ‘this is our person’—that’s your community.”
Fellow panelist Eduardo Castillo, musician, and HABITAS co-founder, concurs: “People will identify if they have a sense of belonging.” He noted that in creating spaces for community, powerful emotional experiences far outweigh specific amenities: “When thinking about audience vs. community—it was focused on how people felt.”
Stambuli pointed out that a solid understanding of the industry is needed to underpin meaningful, lasting success. “The digital space itself is quite new in Africa. We are in a time of digitalization, and not everybody is privileged to be in that space yet.” As a result, she sees a need for greater education about everything that can come with artists’ online success, from preventing piracy to understanding legal frameworks, royalties, and monetization.
As music scenes across the Middle East and Africa rapidly grow, Stambuli stressed the importance of relationship-building and reciprocity. “When it comes to relationships in the industry, it’s a ripple effect. We are no longer in a small village or a closed space. We need to open doors a lot more, and opening doors means being in a position to be authentically yourself, and reaching out to people graciously, so you can all achieve what you need to achieve.” For her, XP Music Futures is a perfect starting point: “With the rich and dynamic sounds, knowledge, and culture coming together, I can only hope each and every one of us pays it forward. It is only the beginning of many more!”
“Carving this path for yourself that looks like so many different things—the unifying thing is you. It took me so long to learn that. All the different sounds, cultures and languages that I use, the thoughts and genres—there’s something that unites it, and that’s me.”
“I WANT TO CHANGE THE IMAGE THAT PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT THE ARAB, EGYPTIAN WOMAN—TO SHOW THAT SHE IS CAPABLE AND STRONG.”
With tracks flowing seamlessly between Arabic and English, Egyptian rapper Felukah has made a splash in the hip-hop world, already earning cover on the Arab X Spotify playlist and an international following. At XP Music Futures, she lit up Abu Recordings’ XP Nite performance with Saint Levant and Bayou. In addition, she sat down with fellow artists, promoters, and executives during the XP Day panel Creative Entrepreneurship Within the Music Industry (ةسلج ةيبرعلا ةغللاب) to discuss how aspiring artists and music professionals in the Arabic-speaking world can launch their careers.
Felukah finds it “hard to consider [her] self a business.” Instead, she recognizes the importance of community and family in sustaining her career: “Truly, the people around me are what carries me…I love sharing with them the moments I go through in my life, the experiences and feelings I had when I was writing a song.” Based in New York since 2017, she released her 2020 album Dream 23 on Abu Recordings, an indie “family-style label made by artists, for artists.”
The 24-year-old comes to music through literature and poetry. She draws inspiration from Haruki Murakami, Nayyirah Waheed, and Ocean Vuong as much as from the traditional felucca boats that give rise to her stage name. Describing her sound as “genre-less,” she encourages unconventional approaches: “Carving this path for yourself that looks like so many different things— the unifying thing is you. It took me so long to learn that. All the different sounds, cultures and languages that I use, the thoughts and genres— there’s something that unites it, and that’s me.”
Having faced her share of online criticism and trolling, Felukah aims to prove them wrong, using critique to “fuel the fire”: “I want to change the image that people have about the Arab, Egyptian woman—to show that she is capable and strong.” She sees this as a task for everyone. “The more we tap in and let women speak up— literally on panels, but also metaphorically in the conversation of the universe, I think that’s when we can really evolve as a culture.” To her, XP Music Futures is a beautiful place to do that: “A lot of my women friends in the industry are here, which is really cool.”
“In 2018, the idea of having a concert in Saudi was a dream, and many of us didn’t believe it was true until it happened.”
— Mai Alhelabi
“In 2018, the idea of having a concert in Saudi was a dream, and many of us didn’t believe it was true until it happened,” says Mai Alhelabi of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sports. Since Saudi Arabia’s first-ever concert was held at the 2018 Diriyah ePrix (also marking the MENA region’s first Formula E race), sports and music have gone hand-in-hand in developing the Kingdom’s entertainment, culture, and tourism events. This synthesis was discussed in the XP Music Futures, Day Program session Sports x Music: Drivers of Growth. Multi-platinum DJ and producer R3HAB sat down with Saudi Arabia’s General Manager for Sports Events, Mai Alhelabi, and fellow panelists Balich Wonder Studio’s Stefania Garibaldi and Sajid Sayeed, Event Director for Saudi Motorsport.
Sporting and music events both center on entertainment, collective experience, and storytelling—and, when combined, create an even more immersive audience experience. They also bridge different communities, bringing sports and music-specific fan bases. For largescale international productions, these events offer a new platform for artists and sporting culture and encourage tourism.
R3HAB discussed how music and sports could complement one another, from creating cinematic, epic moments out of virtuosic physical accomplishment (“think about legendary melodies in sports films, like Rocky”)—to building immersive experiences that extend audience experience well beyond a single sporting match. He observed that Saudi Arabia’s weather gives the territory an opportunity to establish itself on the worldwide music itinerary. When colder temperatures are a challenge for festival production in the Northern Hemisphere, XP Music Futures and Soundstorm could become the go-to global destination for DJs and artists late in the year.
To date, the results have been promising. Alhelabi explains, “as we become more knowledgeable about running large-scale events, our audiences’ expectations also grow. They care about who is in the lineup and the quality of their experience.” By developing the niche between sports and music, organizers can help pave the way for Saudi Arabia to lead in the music, sports, and entertainment industries globally.
Scout unique locations such as remote desert spots to host events. The Traveling Panther is creating a ground-breaking collaboration of ecologically friendly tourism and experience design, reinventing the idea of local venues.
Rhea Chedid and Marilyn Zakhour grew up between Lebanon, Canada, and the US. Bridging these worlds, they joined forces to produce Who Run The World, an award-winning weekly podcast that explores what it’s like being an Arab woman through conversations between women from across the region and the world.
Inspired by XP21, cultural and music collective Karaz is providing unique and alternative artists with a safe space to create, experiment, and connect. “Something I really enjoyed,” emphasizes founder HH Prince Fahad Bin Faisal, “is watching artists go from competitors to collaborators. Once you take that edge off and allow people to be themselves, that births a lot of collective effort, trial, and error.”
Providing the scene with news, reviews, features, and event coverage is MENA’s leading English-language music platform, SceneNoise. Music journalists nurture genuine relationships with music industry professionals and newcomers to uncover stories behind the scene.
Located in AlMalaz, an old, residential neighborhood in Riyadh, KSA, El Beit Artist House is a private space for artists, creatives, and musicians to experiment, connect, inspire and create. “A place outside of the festivals, outside of the conferences, something that is a bit more grassroots, to feel at home essentially,” says Riyadh-based MDLBEAST Senior Creative Strategist Haya Shaath.
Give new and emerging artists a platform to showcase their talent, build an audience, and evolve as musicians. Local music ecosystems grow from community engagement, drawing in local talent and creating opportunity.
To grow a thriving music scene in Saudi Arabia, a legal framework must be established to allow small and medium-sized venues to host public events. As madhaūs founder Moe puts it, “the venue is the core of our industry.”
“Government bodies and the local private event organizers must work closely to establish regulations that are somewhat adjustable in order to promote more safety and at the same time ensure that there is flexibility,” says Tamer Antabi, co-founder of Noctuary (KSA).
Community helps create careers and opportunities. From meeting other artists to collaborate with, connecting with producers, promoters, or agents to developing a fan base, building strong community ties has the power to establish and sustain successful careers.
Harness the opportunity to become a world leader in alcohol-free events and facilitate initiatives to increase nighttime safety and dance floor etiquette within the music industry. Grassroots and smaller events and spaces are pioneering nightlife experiences that are safe and inclusive. Accordingly, look to these operators for education and initiatives to expand into larger-scale and mainstream events. Expand the focus on mental health and well-being by building on sessions such as those initiated by Mindsai and Raw Escapes at XP 2022, where live music fuses with wellness for healing, connection, and creative expression.
Start a community radio platform based in MENA to support local and regional upcoming artists, producers, and DJs to develop an audience. MDLBBEAST is pioneering this approach with MDLBEAST RADIO releasing its first eight episodes in 2022 and BEAST FREQUENCIES, which launched in 2020.
“I represent myself before the world represents me. We need to make sure that women believe in themselves first. Then they will be able to represent themselves. We need to see women who believe in themselves and do their thing. This is important for younger women.”
The XP Music Futures Day Program IMPACT sessions focused on enabling change and growth in the MENA music scene. The panels and workshops concentrated on educating the next generation of music industry professionals on equitable leadership and awareness. Local and international speakers encouraged women to take positions of power; industry specialists to promote intersectionality; artists to practice wellness; promoters to foster safety in nightlife spaces. Speakers urged their audience to strengthen their international knowledge exchange. Details relayed in the IMPACT sessions helped define and give a better understanding of music ecosystems, sustainability, equality, diversity, and social equity—key points to help assist and shape the MENA’s scene and policy reform.
“I think there are multiple forms of communication that you can use to set up structures to implement safety. So sometimes in
the city, we actually work with the car guards to say, ‘hey, please make sure’... Or even bouncers, ‘Please make sure that people get to their Uber’s safely. And then we also speak to the people at the door. Or we delegate our own team members to say, ‘Hey, when someone comes to the venue, we’re not allowed to do this... Not allowed to do that, specifically being, ‘please make sure people feel safe.’ Make sure there’s no discrimination. We also would like to have people who align with us and our values regarding discrimination in making women feel safe because we are more vulnerable.
And something that we touched on is that when we liaise or talk to venue owners, we have to ensure that they align with what we do. Sincerely for us, it lies in communicating our values, taking care of the people within our spaces, and making sure that it is known that this is a non-discriminatory space for us to exist in and have fun.”
ALWAYS COMES TOO LATE IN PLANNING. IT NEEDS TO BE PART OF THE EVENT PLANNING FROM DAY ONE, AND YOU NEED TO PLAN RESOURCES. IT MUST BE INTEGRATED INTO THE ETHOS AND PRIORITIZED.”
— Camille Guitteau“THE NOTION OF TIME IS IMPORTANT. SUSTAINABILITYHow to Kick-Start Your Plastic-Free Journey with Bye-Bye Plastic
Insight: Highest attended IMPACT sessions indicates that attendees from the region have a significant hunger for building capacity and knowledge about the fundamentals of the music industry (e.g. copyright and intellectual property) balanced with a clear focus on systemic change needed to protect the health of artists and the position of women in the industry.
1
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY
Moderators: Abdulaziz Alrabiah
Speakers: HH Prince Ahmed Bin Sultan Al Saud (Saham), Dr. Alhanoof Aldebasi, Hesham Alarifi, Habib Achour
2
AFROJACK’S WALL CAMP: MEET THE TEAM
Moderator: Matthew Dicks
Speakers: Afrojack, Cosmicat (Nouf Sufyani), Rancido, Malkin (Ahem Almalki), DJ Emad (Emad Iskanderani)
3
WELLNESS FOR THE CONSTANTLY CREATIVE MIND WITH HARDWELL
Moderator: Enjoy Kiwan Speaker: Hardwell
4
THE WOMEN WHO LEAD
Moderator: Karima Damir and Sarah Jane Nicholson
Speakers: Georgia Taglietti, Sybel Vazquez, Shemine Sawalha, Anais D’Olivat
5
FEMALE REPRESENTATION IS A MISSION FOR ALL OF US
Moderator: Lewamm Ghebremariam
Speakers: Jara, Hijab DJ, Nadia Khan, Roberta Hickey, TRISHES (Trish Hosein), Alvaro Prol, DJ Outlaw (Mohammed AlMohri)
INSPIRED BY XP '21
“When you are yourself and you feel truly grounded, you can create art in all forms."
— HH Prince Fahad Bin Faisal
“WE WANTED TO CREATE A SAFE SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO BE THEMSELVES.”
The 2022 XP Music Futures kicked off with a look back to projects that grew out of inspiration from XP2021. Moderated by MDLBEAST’s Haya Shaath”, KNZ records’ Omar Agha, professor and audio engineer Marcela Rada, and His Highness Prince Fahad Bin Faisal shared how XP2021 led to the creation of his new artistic collective, KARAZ
As a creative entrepreneur whose career spans education, social empowerment, and job creation, HH Prince bin Faisal aims to use creative and digital entertainment as a force for change, cultural bridge-building, and advocating for the regional creative community. His new venture, KARAZ, is a cultural collective for the alternative and unique. “We wanted to create a safe space for people to be themselves. Because when you are yourself and you feel truly grounded, you can create art in all forms. Karaz provides a safe space for people who don’t fit into the norm and push the envelope. First and foremost, I want them to recognize that they’re not alone and provide a platform for them to showcase their uniqueness.” Both [Prince bin Faisal] and his fellow panelists emphasized these nonjudgmental community spaces as essential for individual creative processes and broader creative communities.
The MENA region is only beginning to develop dedicated spaces for music, and this notion of safe space takes on new significance. Creative spaces are the primary building block of creative communities and scenes. And grassroots, community-focused space is just as essential as world-class studios and stadiums. HH Prince Fahad bin Faisal recognizes that safe spaces are needed for artists’ self-empowerment, “they are places to ask questions, to make mistakes, to foster collaborations,” and “to decide who they are and what kind of artist they want to be.”
HH Prince Fahad bin Faisal takes inspiration from Berlin, a city he feels where “you’re able to be your authentic self no matter where you are.” He aims to bring this spirit to Saudi Arabia, to “start small, with literally four walls. Then hopefully, the community that we build seeps through these walls and into the rest of the Saudi community.”
“Doing 30 to maximum 40 shows a year, being able to run my record label, being able to actually find the motivation, go back in the studio, go back to the gym, and attend special moments for my family and friends…I find this is a true balance in life, all the most important things that make me happy.”
Hardwell
IN RIYADH TALKING ABOUT DANCE MUSIC—THE MOST INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE AND MUSIC ON EARTH.”
“IF YOU ASKED ME FIVE YEARS AGO, I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE SITTING HERE
In an industry that requires artists to be constantly “on,” Hardwell defies expectations and rules. In 2018, the Dutch DJ Superstar and Revealed Recordings founder at the height of his career—headlining festival mainstages, twice winning DJ Mag’s number-one DJ slot, and playing up to 300 shows in a year—decided to step back. After four years away, he’s returned with a new album, Rebels Never Die, a new sound and a stripped-down touring schedule. At XP Music Futures Day Program panel, Wellness for the Constantly Creative Mind with Hardwell, he shared his renewed approach to a music career and how other artists can build healthy careers for the long haul.
Recognizing “this is even more important than making music—this is your mental health!” Hardwell emphasized balance as fuel for creativity: “Doing 30 to maximum 40 shows a year, being able to run my record label, being able to actually find the motivation, go back in the studio, go back to the gym, and attend special moments for my family and friends…I find this is a true balance in life, all the most important things that make me happy.”
The question of social media was brought up: how can artists use social media in a way that inspires instead of drains? Hardwell identified how it’s unavoidable for emerging artists; how it can be insidious: “It’s the biggest distraction that takes me out of my focused zone. I want to use my impulses to work on music, not scrolling.” Instead, he focuses on YouTube over other platforms, channeling his output towards longerform content and his label’s Masterclasses. “If I use social media, I want to use it in a way I feel comfortable with.”
Looking toward the future, Hardwell’s optimistic. “For me, the scene is more alive than ever. If you asked me five years ago, I never thought I would be sitting here in Riyadh talking about dance music—the most international language and music on earth. I’m really happy to see the scene evolving. Seeing main stages programmed way more diverse…female DJs finally getting the spot on the main stage makes it more open-minded and united than ever before. I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Dutch DJs and producers Afrojack and Rancido joined emerging Saudi artists Cosmicat, Malkin, and DJ Emad onstage for the session Afrojack’s WALL Camp: Meet the Team. Moderated by MDLBEAST Record’s Matthew Dicks, the artists shared their experiences as part of Afrojack’s WALL Camp, a summer-intensive program to develop young talent from the MENA region.
Cosmicat, a 29-year-old DJ and producer, is part of the first wave of female Saudi DJs. She explains that she’s “mostly self-taught.”
Festival mainstay, she is now making waves internationally, performing at Belgium’s Tomorrowland and Serbia’s EXIT Festival.
The weeklong WALL Camp program included visits to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Boom’s Tomorrowland festival, and more. Each artist
was paired with a creative mentor. Cosmicat teamed up with Rancido to produce “some fire stuff.” Both artists came away with a new appetite for collaborative work, Cosmicat explains, “This back and forth of energy creates something special that you can’t do on your own.”
When asked what makes her proudest about the Saudi music scene, she doesn’t hesitate: “For me, doing art and doing music is all about legacy. I am proud of every one of my friends. We started from the underground together, from absolute zero, with absolutely no help, and overcame so much together. And today, we meet each other backstage at big festivals, and we never thought it would happen.”
“Don’t let data scare you,” says music executive Amy Thomson. After representing acts such as the Gorillaz, DJ Snake, and Swedish House Mafia, Thomson now manages Hipgnosis’ song catalog, worth over $2 billion. Her passion for data transparency and empowering the next generation of artists was evident at the XP Music Futures session, Streaming Revenues and Leveraging Online Data for Maximum Profits. Two essential lessons from Thomson outlined how music creators can protect their work and receive the returns they deserve:
“Songs are assets for life,” but artists and songwriters need data to benefit. An array of codes linked to each song—IPIs, IPNs, ISNIs, ISRCs, and ISWCs—determine payment of royalties. And
incorrect codes mean missed payments. Thomson observes that “35% of codes for writers get lost or broken, and that’s because people aren’t getting their coding right.” She urges artists to check their codes without delay: “In ten years, when you’ve had three hit albums, you’ll be devastated that you didn’t take the time.”
“Embrace your data, but don’t let it change you.” Thomson encouraged listeners to use streaming and audience data to devise strategies around releases and promotion—but not to let it dictate their artistic vision and voice. In her eyes, data provides a means for “musical freedom,” steady growth, and a sustainable career journey.
The first regional music streaming chart in the world and the first ever official chart in MENA, The Official MENA Chart was launched during XP 2022. Devised by chart compiler BMAT in accordance with global charts authority IFPI’s principles and methodologies, The Official MENA Chart captures music streaming from 13 markets across the region, encompassing more than 300 million people. Drawing on Anghami, Apple Music, Deezer, Spotify, and YouTube streaming data, the chart celebrates the week’s most popular songs, putting the global spotlight on MENA, the world’s fastest-growing music region.
Suspending cultural norms, proud Muslim woman Hijab DJ rocked Zanzibar’s music scene by becoming the first female DJ in Tanzania. Leveraging her success, she asserts: “We need to rise up for those women who feel scared of how their society and family will take them when they are doing what they want. We need to support them so that they can represent themselves to society.”
Supercharging and inspiring Saudis firstwave producers, Afrojack’s WALL Camp invites rising producers and DJs to join forces with globally experienced artists in specialized studio environments. As Afrojack sums up, “I’ve always been interested in artist development, and I believe that with the right tools and right information, you can help anyone become the
artist they aspire to be. When I heard they are developing local cultural talent in Saudi Arabia, I wanted to be part of it because there is so much potential here.”
MTN Bushfire is one of Africa’s best-known multicultural music and arts festivals. MTN Bushfire’s call to action, BRING YOUR FIRE, combines social and climate activism on a festival-size scale in the Kingdom of Eswatini. “We use the creative platform to drive pertinent issues,” emphasized performance poet, artist, and visionary festival director, Jiggs Thorne. The festival is shaping the artistic landscape of the Southern African region and beyond.
Campaigning for a sustainability revolution in the entire music industry, Bye Bye Plastic’s initiative, Eco-Rider, is encouraging artists to demand singleuse, plastic-free DJ booths at festivals and events.
By implementing mentorship programs and solidifying female-led networks, women in leadership can direct gender expectations in the music industry. Younger women are encouraged to take on leadership roles: “There are women who lead,” says Sybel Vazquez, Head of Cultural Programming of the Arts Club Dubai. “If anything, it should inspire women in our various jobs: Look, these jobs are available to women. I can do that.”
Ensure diverse representation from festival to party line-ups, radio shows, podcasts to executive boards, conference panels to workshops. Diversity creates a better music ecosystem. Call out imbalanced programming and incorporate inclusivity clauses in agreements.
“There should be collective management organizations that are backed by governments, by national law, that enforce licenses,” advises IFPI’s regional director Rawan Al Dabbas. “We need there to be legal music. That’s how you attract people to come in and say, I’m going to invest money in this because I know that there’s a framework that protects me.”
There is a negative association between women and nightlife in the MENA region. Establishing oneself as a female artist, DJ and producer is a challenge. While pioneering women are creating positive images of themselves as artists, executives, and promoters, a significant cultural shift needs to happen.
“There is a good initial engagement, but we need to get to the next stages, we need more industry collaboration,” says Camille Guitteau, Co-Founder of Bye Bye Plastic. Regarding the status quo in Saudi Arabia, founder and CEO of Sangha
“Estidama Hub” Raghad Fathaddin adds: “We are at a phase where we are still raising awareness on the narrative around sustainability. We are in a good place, but there’s so much yet to be done.”
“This is just such a new community, and it’s building up. I think there needs to be safe spaces where people can try, can experiment, where they feel good,” adds DJ, Producer & Cofounder of KNZLAB Omar Agha, highlighting the significance of small-scale incubator spaces in building a thriving and lasting music ecosystem from the bottom up.
To help raise awareness and support anecdotal accounts, data is essential. Data helps drive change. Research, evaluate and educate on all forms of inequity, including gender, race, and age.
“We do this not because it is trendy, but because there are opportunities to bridge artists and communities, for artists to create elevated experiences for fans. New ways for artists to monetize and understand who their most profitable audiences are. It's about the larger purpose and how this development can address issues and give people new ways to experience entertainment.”
— Rishi Patel Plus 8 Equity Co-Founder and Partner - Rave in the New World: Web3 & the MetaverseThe INNOVATION sessions demonstrated disruptive, transformative ideas in the creative and tech-focused spheres. Various panels and workshops explained how technological advancements could drastically enhance the audience and artists' experience. The sessions explored how artists, labels, promoters, and managers can best utilize NFTs, the metaverse, Web3, and VR as marketing and creative tools. Highlights focused on bridging real life with virtual life while emphasizing how Web3 can build and engage fanbases and reach a larger audience. Discussions also raised the pitfalls of these developments, such as accessibility to tech, i.e., VR headsets, music piracy, and intellectual property protection.
“The metaverse changes music production by making it adaptive and immersive. It’s clear that fans want new experiences. The passiveness of listening to a music streaming platform simply isn’t enough to keep music fans engaged, especially now that there are so many other ways in which they can spend their time. I see the future of the industry becoming a mix of experiences that are highly social, interactive, and participatory, with entertainment offerings the real world cannot offer but that are perfectly suited for the Metaverse.”
— SVORA
Virtual Artist - Music & Web3: How Virtual Artists & Beings Change
The Game In The AI-driven Metaverse
“CREATIVE PEOPLE HAVE IDEAS, AND THESE ARE OFTEN
UNDERGROUND MUSIC ARTISTS WHO HAVE THEIR ORIGINALITY STRIPPED BY THESE HUGE RECORD LABELS. WITH WEB3, THIS LAYER GOES AWAY, AND THESE ARTISTS HAVE MORE CHANCES TO BE WHO THEY WANT TO BE INSTEAD OF BEING PUT INTO A CORPORATE BOX.”
Insight: The intersection of music and tech will continue to grow, and with this growth artists and their music will embed further into tech developments and new platforms. A goal of XP Music Futures is to increase sessions that showcase digital platforms and tools practically as well as theoretically.
1
CREATING A HIT SONG: FORMULA VS. TREND
Moderators: Abdulla Mahmood
Speakers: BEC, Lil Eazy, DJ Outlaw (Mohammed AlMohri), Sarah Beaumont
2
RAVE IN THE NEW WORLD: WEB3 & THE METAVERSE
Moderator: Rishi Patel
Speakers: Ralph Boege, Sasha Tityanko, Wees Abraham
3
INNOVATIVE TOOLS TO MONETIZE AND PROTECT YOUR MUSIC: IN CONVERSATION WITH GHAZI SHAMI
Moderator: Antonia Folguera Speaker: Ghazi Shami
4
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NFTS, THE METAVERSE, AND WEB3
Moderator: Lindi Delight
Speaker: Tristan Khan
5
MUSIC & WEB3: HOW VIRTUAL ARTISTS & BEINGS CHANGE THE GAME IN THE AI-DRIVEN METAVERSE
Moderator: Sasha Tityanko
Speakers: SVORA, Nour Said
“People don’t understand the value of touring. TikTok is amazing. Instagram is amazing. But there’s still something to be said about touching people directly.”
— Ghazi Shami
“ACCESS CREATES CULTURE. IF YOU ENABLE ACCESS, YOU MAKE CULTURE.”
Ghazi Shami is best known as the founder of EMPIRE, an innovative label and distribution company whose roster includes hip-hop up-andcomers and dignitaries like Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Anderson Paak. At XP Music Futures Day Program, he shared lessons from his career in Innovative Tools to Monetize and Protect Your Music: in conversation with Ghazi Shami. Relentless curiosity at the intersection of science and creativity has motivated him since his teenage years:
“I was probably about 17 years old, and I had a summer job at a computer company. My teacher told me that computers would never be fast enough to record music, and we would always be on reel-to-reel.
So I went and scrapped my computer and pulled together a whole bunch of parts from the department and built a computer that was fast enough to get 16 tracks on.
That was one of the first times in my life that I realized maybe technology could liberate us from some of the pain points of creativity.”
Since its inception in 2010, EMPIRE has been a leading innovator in music technology. The company pioneered a custom interface for artists
to upload their releases. It now works closely with artists to venture into Web3 technologies, fueling Money Man’s all-Bitcoin advance or the “metaverse-born” Teflon Sega’s NFT launch. This tech-forward approach keeps access in mind. Whether building an artist equity pool into the label’s shares of Riff or using stablecoin to pay artists in countries with banking challenges, Shami puts it: “Access creates culture. If you enable access, you make culture.”
With Palestinian roots himself, he notes that XP’s mission is “near and dear” to his heart. Asked how Arab artists might break through to global success, he asserts, “People don’t understand the value of touring. TikTok is amazing. Instagram is amazing. But there’s still something to be said about touching people directly.” He cites the “energy points” of the Arab diaspora in Europe and North America as a largely untapped audience for artist touring. He looks ahead to supporting the growing music markets of North Africa and West Asia. He and EMPIRE plan to sign more creative talent in the region and to share good practices “not only to invest in that [region’s] evolution but in being part of the change that we all want to see.”
“I cannot stress the importance of community enough. Fans have always been the lifeblood of the music business. Understand their needs, their fears, and help lead them through the transition.”
— Tristan Khan
“THE VAST MAJORITY—OVER 90%—DESCRIBED FEELING INTIMIDATED BY WEB3, BUT ALSO FEELING FOMO. FOLKS WERE SCARED BUT ALSO SCARED OF MISSING OUT.”
Tristan Khan’s career has spanned two decades across North America and Europe, including stints for DICE, Elrow, and the United Nations before co-founding Web3 startup Goosebump. Khan’s mission is to “facilitate flourishing” for others, particularly by empowering artists. At the XP Music Futures Day Program session, All You Need to Know About NFTs, the Metaverse, and Web3, he sought to “demystify” the Web3 space as the music industry faces this moment of change.
His first point: “if you’re unsure about Web3, you’re not alone”. Khan recently conducted 150+ discovery interviews with professionals “across the music business ecosystem: labels, stations, managers, major tech founders, and over 40 artists from Coachella headliners to underground techno DJs.” He found that “the vast majority— over 90%—described feeling intimidated by Web3, but also feeling FOMO. Folks were scared but also scared of missing out.”
Khan offered a simple overview of Web3, NFTs, and the metaverse, including some of the “massive disconnects” between Web3’s democratic intentions and its commercialized implementation and strategies for creating more familiarity and accessibility.
Three ways for labels and artists can take the first steps into Web3:
“Aim for Web 2.5. Web3 will scale fast, but we’re still in the early stages of its life cycle. You’ll have much greater success if you develop projects that straddle the line between Web2 and Web3.”
“Hunt for opportunities to be first. Because Web3 is so new, many exciting project ideas still haven’t been executed. Think by genre, by medium, by artist profile.”
Focus on community. “I cannot stress the importance of community enough. Fans have always been the lifeblood of the music business. Understand their needs, their fears, and help lead them through the transition.”
For artists based out of Saudi Arabia and the broader MENA region, Web3 offers the opportunity to build virtual followings regionally and worldwide. And Khan’s hopeful about the real-life barriers it can break down: “As Web3 scales and that technology becomes more and more affordable, we will be now able to spend time in virtual spaces with folks we can’t afford to travel and engage with in real life.”
VR technology can render exclusive and even impossible experiences, making events virtually accessible to everyone, everywhere. Meeting your real friends at the festival, virtually, or standing next to David Guetta on the main stage, the Serbian-based EXIT Festival is pioneering how VR technology reinvents the festival experience in the years to come.
Dedicated to empowering creatives, artists, and brands across the region, NFTY Arabia is the NFT marketplace for digital art from the Middle East and North Africa. As a technology, NFTs enable an evolution of music that artists are just beginning to explore. “They are based on smart programming, which means you can program the NFT to be triggered to change based on different factors. What could you do to trigger your piece of music that could change over time? It’s a real, living, breathing, interactive thing”, states British-born Egyptian entrepreneur Timmy Mowafi, co-founder of MO4 Network and founder of NFTY Arabia.
When asked about the potential of Web3 to change global prejudice against the Arab world, co-founder of Web3 music start-up Goosebump, Tristan Khan, explains, “I think exposure is really the answer. By spending more time and engaging with the virtual identities of folks from different parts of the world, different backgrounds, different perspectives, we become more aware of our overwhelming similarities relative to our perceived differences.”
Taking part in the conversation on how virtual artists and beings change the game in the AIdriven metaverse, extraterrestrial artist Aurora highlights the pioneering role of Saudi Arabia and XP Futures specifically: “Recent advancements prove that the Saudi Kingdom is making its way into the metaverse faster than many other nations. Platforms like XP Futures are a great starting point pushing the boundaries of the private and public sectors.”
“Label who?” asks American-born-Omani-raised Emaan, the first Middle Eastern artist to create their own cryptocurrency. “Artists and creatives have already learned how to be independent with the abundance of technology that is currently available. Now with the ability for artists to own and sell their own work, we can design a very creative-driven world.”
“Can we live forever in the metaverse?” wonders SVORA, a virtual digital artist, raising a question that has driven artistic creation for millennia. Yes, argues Sasha Tityanko, deputy CEO for Sensorium Galaxy. “An artist’s virtual alter ego can exist without the limitations of a human lifespan.”
Use technologies to make systems more transparent and efficient: number of event attendees, total sales, how people are getting paid, and how much. Establishing equity in the music industry starts with data transparency.
“Rave culture cannot be replaced with the metaverse,” asserts Dubai-based tech entrepreneur and founder of FrequenC Wees Abrahams. “But the new generation loves it, to be able to build an alter ego and be who they want to be.” This calls for creative interventions to incorporate the virtual and the real into the future of immersive entertainment experiences.
Utilize technological innovations to fight music piracy. Whether it is through new technologies such as blockchain-based NFTs, improved licensing laws and regulatory systems, addressing data leakage in ISNIs (International Standard Name Identifier), ISRCs (International Standard Recording Code), and ISWCs (International Standard Musical Work Code)— enhancing the protection of property rights is pivotal to a thriving music economy.
“To figure out what Web 2.5 is going to look like, you’ve got to look at what’s already working in Web 2.0. What types of content is your fan base actively engaging with? And then you want to think about what that could look like in a Web3 iteration”, suggests Co-founder of Web3 music start-up Goosebump, Tristan Khan.
“The energy at XP Nite was a true reflection of the pulse of the region's music scene; rich, diverse, authentic, and thirsty. We're moving from an organic scene to an established industry. While there's so much work to do in this crucial time, witnessing the level of talent and excitement at XP really puts the importance of our mission into perspective.”
The XP Nite program represented global scenes from Kampala to South London; more than 290 diverse and exciting artists, dancers, and collectives from over 20 countries performed. The musical genres spanned dabke and Arab pop, afro-fusion to indie, footwork to jazz, hip hop to amapiano, disco, funk, traditional Saudi folk, and house—and took over seven different stages each night. For many artists on the lineup, it was their first time playing in the region. The Afro-Fusion stage featured French Ghanaian artist PÖ, leftfield dance from South Sudanese artist Turkana, and a set from Somalian Hibotep. Crowds were treated to sets from local collectives Lymm and Noctuary, who champion Saudi’s thriving underground electronic scene. GABU Records represented the Saudi sound and
closed the Electronic stage on the final night. Over two nights, the BRIJ stage came alive, featuring performances by FrenchySaysRelax, Nadine Elroubi, Shaolin, and DJ Bonita. Playing back-to-back, Riyadh and Jeddah locals, Solskin and Dorar played house music till the early hours. Their ascent coincides with Saudi women publicly spearheading new standards in dance music—making waves in the Saudi and international scenes. Sudanese-American, Alsarah & The Nubatones closed up the eclectic stage for FEMME FEST on the final night, publicly announcing, “we are so excited to be a part of such a brand new beginning in the MENA region.”
EDUARDO CASTILLO
FELUKAH
JUNO KAYAN
KLINSH
MARSIMBA
MOAYAD
NOORIYAH
OMAR FAYYAD
RALPH NASR
SAINT LEVANT
SHKOON
SOLSKIN
STEAM DOWN
THE SYNAPTIK
VINYL MODE
STEAM DOWN brought a magical piece of South East London’s contemporary Jazz scene to Riyadh this year at XP Music Futures as part of Nooriyah’s MIDDLE OF NOWHERE showcase. As their first performance in the MENA region, STEAM DOWN first formed in 2017 by multiinstrumentalist, composer, and producer Ahnansé as a way to foster an extended musical family that shares a love of jazz. The Deptfordbased artist collective and weekly musical event (#sdweekly) has since exploded, quickly
becoming a mainstay of London’s music scenes, blending tough and tender tones and rhythms. Playfully jamming together to their singalong hits ‘Etcetera’ to ‘Can’t Hold Me Back’, and debuting their new formidable single ‘Overcome’—STEAM DOWN left audiences in total awe. With infectious smiles on their faces, vocalists Shantéh and Germane and the whole STEAM DOWN crew brought pure energy to XP this year.
Alsarah and the Nubatones graced XP Music Futures with their heart-warming East African retro pop melodies and rhythms as part of this year’s FEMME FEST showcase. By paying homage to the many sounds of their native Sudan (and beyond), Alsarah and the Nubatones are, as lead singer Sarah Mohamed AbunamaElGadi puts it, “interested in decentering the West from the conversation surrounding music from our regions.” Performing old-and-new
crowd favorites including ‘Habibi Taal’ and ‘3yan T3ban’, Sarah performed her latest solacing ode-to-home single ‘Men Ana’ (انا نم), alongside her sister, keys and supporting vocalist Nahid, bassist Mawuena Kodjovi, percussionist Rami El-Aasser, and oud player Brandon Terzic— ALSARAH AND THE NUBATONES evoked a beautiful, nostalgic, and fuzzy feeling, rousing their XP audience.
Saudi-born and raised artist MOAYAD needs no introduction to Riyadh fans. The doctor-turnedcomedian-turned-actor-turned-rapper, born Moayad Alnefaie, has been busy placing Saudi rap music on the map. XP audiences gained a glimpse into MOAYAD’s debut album as part of an exclusive listening party at XP Music Futures, where he performed his latest single ‘Bash Muhandis’ (سدنهم شب)—sending audiences into a mosh pit frenzy. MOAYAD’s combination of wit,
swagger, and intonating bars of Arabic poetry, intertwined with slick music production delivers an unmatched coolness. With just two explosive singles, ‘Theeb’ (بيذ) and ‘Bash Muhandis’ (شب سدنهم) (via MDLBEAST Records) under his belt— MOAYAD is already a trailblazing artist in Saudi Arabia and beyond. Watch this space.
CASCOU is a Kuwaiti-born and raised DJ, producer, and one of the original radio presenters/curators on the grassroots Palestinian platform Radio Alhara. CASCOU, born Hassan Ali, pays meticulous attention to every detail—from his vast track selection of Balearic, Acid, or tabla beats to his mesmerizing and (somewhat) nostalgic 3D visual renderings of Nokia 3310s, BMWs, and gold chains. At XP Music Futures, CASCOU launched PARADISEA, a new record label and party series aiming to platform up-and-coming and genre-spanning
DJs and visual artists at home, regionally, and internationally. Testament to CASCOU’s passion for cutting-edge club culture, his inaugural party, entitled Sahra (هرهس), showcased the likes of emerging DJs Nooriyah and Disco Arabesquo. Adorning the X4 stage with a great levitating bird of paradise (courtesy of Amman-based design duo Studio Turbo)—CASCOU is rising to be one the most exciting creatives in the MENA region and is undoubtedly one to watch.
Riyadh’s very own Ntitled stormed the welcome address at this year’s XP Music Futures X1 stage, summoning audiences with his beckoning bars and beats. The rapper, producer, and founder of Riyadh-based label Kapital Records, has crafted his delivery and self-assured stage presence to perfection. Skillfully self-producing his 2021 debut album Eden, Ntitled, the moniker and brainchild of Saudi-born and raised Nawaf
Alalyan, is carving out his own lane in Riyadh’s underground hip-hop and rap scenes. While Ntitled’s name stems from the impetus to express himself on his terms, the rapper’s effortless code-switching and wordplay between Arabic and English provoked XP Nite audiences and listeners alike—making him a true force to be reckoned with in the years to come.
As JUNO’s first performance outside of Egypt, the Cairo-based band, led by multidisciplinary artist, singer, and musician Jannah Emam, bedazzled audiences with their angelic vocals at FEMME FEST ’s stage at this year’s XP MUSIC FUTURES. Citing Lady Gaga as one of their greatest sources of inspiration, JUNO blends meandering pop melodies with melancholic lyricism. First finding their voice at an understated open mic performance some years ago, JUNO have been
busy crafting their powerful stage presence in Egypt’s indie pop scenes over the past few years, regularly performing at the likes of the famous Cairo Jazz Club. Testament to JUNO’s gift as a natural performer was their live rendition of their latest song, ‘Flight of Time’—leaving many in the audience in tears of joy. With a string of singles under their belt, fans should keep their eyes peeled for exciting new material from JUNO in the new year.
XP Music Futures and the Advisors and Advocates (A&A) launched a number of initiatives in 2022 to help develop emerging artists, mobilize community influence, and support creative potential in the MENA region.
XP is dedicated to being an inclusive and representative platform for the MENA music industry. One way it ensures diversity is with the Board of Advocates and Advisors, who are appointed annually. The board members are the eyes and ears of XP; they advise on up-andcoming talent and programming, share their expertise through thought leadership pieces, and ensure XP grows its community in all the right ways. They help keep XP relevant. The diverse A&A board members offer insights, concepts, and guidance to create cohesive events by the people, for the people. The Advocates assist with outreach and understanding of communities. The Advisors help inform the programming and production and connect XP to major industry players worldwide to promote a sustainable global music community.
XP 2022 A&A Board of Advisors:
Marcela Rada, Audio Engineer, Educator
Arabian Prince, Artist, and Founder at Nov8 Next Open Labs
Natasha Stambul, General Manager at Transsnet Music Limited (Boomplay)
Jennifer Cochrane, CEO & Co-Founder of mental health and wellbeing non-profit Getahead
Narcy, Artist & Founding member of Arab voice in Hip-Hop
Karima Damir, Head of A&R And Marketing at Sony Music Middle East
XP 2022 A&A Board of Advocates:
Mohammed Bajbaa, Founder of Proud Angeles & Proud X Fashion Consultancy
JARA, One the first female rappers in Saudi Arabia
SPCEBOI, DJ and producer.
An initiative that raises awareness about ear safety and tinnitus. Hearful offers education on tinnitus-preventative measures and hearing protection at music events.
A digital series that goes behind the scenes of the music industry. XP Series offers real-time coverage of industry professionals “on the job,” highlighting lesser-known professions, educating aspiring creatives, and celebrating unrecognized talent. Content categories span audio, visual, live, marketing, artist development, and technology.
An intensive professional music production training course from A&A board memberMarcela Rada, a sound engineer and professor at the University of Lethbridge. Aspiring and emerging producers were invited to apply to participate in the course. More than 40 applications were received, and 28 places were filled for the three-day course held at XP Day
Paying homage to the history of self-published underground publications, the XChange Xine captures the spirit of XP. It is a comprehensive guide that includes XP’s manifesto and objectives, as well as summaries and outcomes from the XChange Workshops. The Xine raises awareness for the positive impact of XP on the music industry—profiling topics on diversity, gender equality, and social equity.
A social impact initiative created by XP in partnership with MDLBEAST that was launched as a part of a commitment to safe spaces. Respect and Reset aims to equip festival goers with the tools to identify, intervene and prevent harassment — as well as empower people to report any wrongdoing.
XP Conversations is a film series that interviews artists, bookers, agents, organizers, and individuals deeply involved in the music industry. The series highlights and explores their roles and contribution to the regional music scene. The interviews occur at international music conferences such as IMS in Ibiza and ADE, at Avantgarde, at the F1 in Jeddah, and at XChange workshops in Dubai, Riyadh, and Jeddah. In addition, the film series has a Youtube channel and is showcased on XP’s social media.
Storm Shaker is a yearly competition that allows DJs to submit their sets for a chance to perform at Soundstorm Festival. With creativity, style, technical ability, and story-telling in mind, applicants’ online submissions are assessed. Four finalists are selected to play live at XP Music Futures in front of a panel of music industry experts and veteran DJs. A finalist is selected to play at Soundstorm Festival. For the second year in a row, more than 400 DJs have shared their mixes, making Storm Shaker a platform for MDLBEAST to discover up-and-coming DJ talent in KSA and MENA.
The Call for Submissions initiative invited MENA’s and the wider world’s creative communities to contribute directly to the XP Day program, providing a framework to discover unseen talent, highlight early-stage innovations and to enable grassroots involvement and diverse perspectives in the XP Day program.
The initiative accepted and reviewed submissions on two different tracks:
1. Track one called for publication pieces — articles, short videos or an image series— about trends in the regional music scene and industry, to be published on XP’s blog.
2. Track two called for music tech innovators to apply for pitching their project at one of XP’s highlight conference sessions, the XP Startup Campfire with Jillionaire. The selected submission received personal advice from angel investor Jillionaire on how to enhance their concept to attract new funds and grow their business.
The Call for Submissions was replied to by 63 applicants from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and other international markets. Ten content creators got selected and will have their submissions published on XP’s blog. Three tech start-ups were invited to present their pitches live on stage at XP:
• Sound Sauce (Cairo)
• BlingBy (Dubai)
• Bump (Los Angeles)
Sound Sauce has a simple and straightforward business model: it is a one-stop agency for music licensing and PR/marketing, building a bridge between independent music producers and music supervisors looking to place independent music in films and commercials. Sound Sauce are among the first to provide this service in the MENA region, leveraging their deep understanding of the emerging music scene. Their database includes hundreds of music producers including rising talents such as Ahmed Bassioni or Marwan Moussa. Sound Sauce was presented at XP by Cairo-based cofounders Nirvana Bebars and Amr Ezzeldinn.
BlingBy is a cloud based app for elegantly embedding added information into any video, podcast, live-stream and more, without disrupting the original experience. The app provides an interface within audio or video players that helps users to find more in-depth information about what is shown or addressed in the content. BlingBy was presented at XP by the Dubai-based co-founders Jessica Kreher and André Oppel.
Bump is a US fintech platform for musicians who are dealing with unpredictability of income, lack of credit options and easy-to-use business growth tools. Bump helps individuals to manage and analyze their financial performance in detail and to make decisions on how much to reinvest into their business. Bump’s co-founder and CEO James Jones attended XP on behalf of Bump. James is a Harvard Business School graduate, an award-winning tech entrepreneur and former entertainment lawyer based in Los Angeles.
XPerform is a competition for vocalists from the MENA region, who are given an opportunity to perform at XP Music Futures, collaborate with MDLBEAST Records and attend Soundstorm music festival. More than 200 artists entered, and judges Matthew Dicks, Karima Damir, Banah Anabtawi, Lil Eazy selected ten finalists who then entered the public voting stage to determine the final five finalists to perform at XP Music Futures. XPerform Host Hessah Alsanea introduced the five finalists—Asayel (KSA), Lowkie (KSA), Moelex (KSA), Reina Khoury (Jordan) and SkinnyG (KSA)— to the audience at XP. Hip-Hop artist Asayel was selected as the 2022 XPerform winner, with judges noting her unique blend of Arabic and English lyrics in her original songs, and her infectious stage presence.
XP Air is a podcast series capturing the insights and personal journeys of artists, talent bookers, sound engineers, and promoters, locally and globally. The in-depth conversations uncover stories about careers, experiences and probe the music industry. The podcast aims to educate and build communities, as well as awareness about the MENA and international music scene. XP Air host, Vinyl Mode explains, “My purpose was always about sharing love, joy, and my music. The community was always with us. But the best day in my life was when I got a call from MDLBEAST, as they actually valued what I do. I was very happy to share my knowledge with them and audiences.”
The XChange initiative was launched as part of MDLBEAST’s mission of building the Middle East’s music industry. A series of workshops were hosted across three cities in the lead-up to XP Music Futures in Riyadh in November 2022. The workshops were led by industry experts facilitating conversations around the pillars of TALENT,
• XChange Jeddah: Held in June 2022 in collaboration with Hayy Jameel, this edition of XChange explored the world of talent management. XChange Nites Jeddah featured Vinylmode & Fulana plus a silent disco.
• XChange Riyadh: Held in September 2022 in collaboration with Diriyah Biennale Foundation, this edition of XChange focused on legalizing the Saudi music scene. XChange Nites Riyadh showcased KNZ and featured artists BluePaper, Agha & Fulltone
• XChange Dubai: Held in October 2022 in collaboration with TODA, this edition of XChange explored Web3 innovations in the music industry. XChange Nites Dubai presented in partnership with Gabu Music and Analog Room featured performances from Megatronic and Angry Suzy.
“I believe we have strong and visionary leadership for the country. Our greatest asset in Saudi Arabia is our passionate and creative people, and organizations such as MDLBEAST and events such as XP are putting that passion and creativity in place.”
THERE IS ANOTHER REGION UNDERGOING SUCH A HUGE DEVELOPMENT. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SAUDI IS NOT ONLY IMPACTING THE REGION BUT THE WORLD.”
—“THE SCENE SHOULD REALLY FIGHT FOR THIS INCREDIBLE MOVEMENT. I DON’T THINK
David Guetta
MDLEBEAST’s 2022 XP Music Futures was held in Riyadh from November 28-30. The Day and Nite program included speakers from all over the globe, from Cairo to Amsterdam, Los Angeles to Lagos, Seoul, and Dubai. Artists, producers, and superstar DJs converged with the next-gen of buzzing local and emerging artists. Promoters, managers, music industry executives, tech developers, and government officials commanded stages and hosted workshops. Stories were recounted, experiences relayed, and knowledge shared. Each panel, workshop, and networking opportunity was designed to inspire, educate, help navigate and elevate the willing regional audiences they engaged. Conversations focused on building and sustaining new music economies in the region and how to market the MENA sound to global audiences. Masterclasses demonstrated innovations to assist production, and sessions advised on new media strategies. Panels examined the need for more live music venues to cater to MENA’s evolving scene and musical tastes, as well as how to safely helm
these spaces and parties in this new era of entertainment. Unbridled optimism reverberated from each session. It became evident after 80 Day Program sessions that change was in motion; there was genuine excitement about what the next few years looked like in the MENA region.
In the evening, the JAX District came alive. The Arts district’s thoughtfully curated warehouses, outdoor stages, enclaves, and laneways echoed afro-beats, electronic, hip-hop, amapiano, jazz, disco, and afro-fusion from both established and emerging. Crowded dance floors bustled to local and international DJs and artists; performance artists and dance troupes roused onlookers. The XP Nite program was electric.
What attendees were witnessing was the seen and unseen, present and future sound of MENA. Of what is transpiring in the region and how platforms such as XP help expose, enhance and accelerate this new music movement and moment.
— Nada Alhelabi, XP Director
A new creative subculture is emerging and its proprietors are developing their own identities. Doors have opened, layers shed, and new forms of creative expression have materialized. With social change fully underway, the conditions are right for an immense creative wave. Optimism and hope steer the narrative, and the region is looking less to developed countries for direction. Stronger local scenes are emerging, and regional collectives are forming. MENA’s music professionals and industry are creating their own rules.
Regional artists are paying homage to their culture. They are drawing inspiration from their roots to reinvigorate the future and create new region-specific genres such as Egyptian Hip-Hop, Mahraganat, or Electro-Shabbi music. Artists are rapping and singing in their native tongues, narrating stories that listeners and fans can relate to and celebrate. These authentic songs and sounds are creating a unique sonic identity.
The MENA music scene is rapidly evolving. With a population of over 380 million, MENA is becoming an increasingly significant music market. It is currently the fastest-growing music market in the world. According to IFPI, the recorded music industry revenues for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region grew 35.0 % in 2021. New effective strategies are being implemented to cultivate, market, manage and monitor its growth and progress. Major labels, distributors, and the global recorded music body, IFPI, have all launched regional divisions. In addition, platforms such as the Official MENA Music Chart, Spotify’s 18 flagship playlists, including Arab X and Arab Hip-Hop, streaming platform Anghami, TikTok, and YouTube MENA are all helping put the global spotlight on regional artists.
To keep up with the growing music scene and the emergence of artists, small and mediumsized venues need to be established to host public events. Creative collective spaces for independent artists to perform, collaborate, network, and build their careers. This is married to professionalism and a greater legal framework for operating venues—implementing policies focusing on safety and social equity. There is a demand for more creative, safe, and non-judgemental spaces to allow creative communities and scenes to flourish. Grassroots, community-focused spaces are just as essential as world-class studios and stadiums, and these smaller establishments need to be leading the charge for policy changes.
The MENA region invests millions in technology and innovation, harnessing new tech developments for marketing and creation. As early adopters, digital entertainment is being utilized as a force for change and cultural bridge-building.
In 2022, music events in Saudi Arabia rose by 600% from 2019, according to the Ministry of Tourism. The Saudi government has budgeted an estimated 64 billion dollars to invest in arts over the next ten years. As a result, the MENA region, whose population is over 380 million, is poised to become a top global tourist destination. This growth in large-scale public events also attracts sizable sponsorship investment—all lending to firing economic growth in the region and reinvestment into its local music ecosystems.
Partners
Alo Yoga
Anghami
Dolby
EMPIRE
JAX District (Location partner)
Music Commission (Main partner)
SceneNoise
Sony Music
Sowt
Spotify
Attending Companies
L-accoustics
Noor Riyadh
TikTok
Warner Recorded Music
YouTube
Retail Partners
4AG Clothing
Areweawake
Bani Beast
BEACHBISHT
Bohemia
Culture
Gypsy Soul - Morooo 24
Hindamme
Noms Life
Not Boring
oooWww jwl
Outof10
Personal Issues
Proud Angeles
Rbyreema
Urbn Lot
Znawa
Visual Artists & Experiences
Carol Santana & Vini Fabretti
Dubai Drums
Iregular
Last Floor Productions
Marta Lamovsek
Mindsai
Moto Dancers
Nuraphone
Raw Escapes
Studio Zumi
The Warehouse
XP Air Hosts
Heba Zaidan
Jana Qazzaz, SOWT
Katie Knight
SpaceBoi
Vinyl Mode
XPerform Host, Judges & Artists
Host:
Hessah Alsanea
Judges:
Banah Anabtawi
Karima Damir, Sony Music
Entertainment
LilEazy
Matthew Dicks, MDLBEAST
Records
Artists:
Asayel
Lowkie
Moelex
Reina Khoury
SkinnyG
Speakers
Abdulaziz Alrabiah, Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property
Abdulla Mahmood, Artist
Abdullah AlHussein, Artist
Abdulrahman Bakhsh, Lymm
Abeer Al Zubaidi, Pureink Events
Adham Beainy, BO18
Afnan Bakr, MDLBEAST
Ahmad Alghawanmeh, Sony Music
Entertainment
Ahmed Al Momen, MDLBEAST
Ahmed Khalaf, SceneNoise
Ala Haddad, Hyperspace
Alaa Aloweiny, Astronauts Lab
Music
Alma Ernst, Circle of Live
Alsarah, Artist
Alvaro Prol, Blueprint Canada
Amal Khalaf, Serpentine
Aminah Zawawi, MDLBEAST
Amira Guetif, Soundscapes/SXM
Festival
Amy Oraefo, The Recording Academy
Amy Roko, Sand Circus
Amy Thomson, Hipgnosis Songs
Anaïs D'Olivat, MDLBEAST
Andrea C. Martin, PRS
Andreea Gleeson, Tunecore
Anna Knaup, Anna Agency/Sorted Management
Antonia Folguera, Sónar+D
Anyiko Owoko, Anyiko Public Relations
Arabian Prince, Artist
Arooj Aftab, Artist
Aya Khoja, MDLBEAST
Bader Assery, MDLBEAST
Banah Anabtawi, Artist
Bastien Roudaut, MDLBEAST
BEC, Artist
BiG AL, Artist
Brahim El Mazned, Visa for Music Festival
Camille Guitteau, Bye Bye Plastic
Candace Newman. Live Out Live
Cassandra Lisa O'Grady, Boiler Room
Cassy, Artist
Celine Bourgi, Warner Music
Chasner, Artist
Chaz Jenkins, Chart Metric
CHNDY, Artist
Claudius Boller, Spotify
Cosmicat, Artist
Craig Saunders, YouTube
Cristina Lazic, Artist
Dalila Rück, Lila Booking
Daniyal Khan, Hypebeast
David Guetta, Artist
Davide Grosso, International Music Council
Dean Gillard, MDLBEAST
Deemah AlFayez, Ministry of Culture
Diya Azzony, Music Commission
DJ Emad, Artist
DJ Khaled, Artist
DJ Outlaw, Artist
Dr Alfons, Artist
Dr. Alhanoof Aldebasi, Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property
Eddy Maroun, Anghami
Eduardo Castillo, Habitas
Edwin Harb, MDLBEAST
Elia Mssawir, GXR Records
Elyanna, Artist
Emaan, Artist
Emilien Moyon, Berklee College of Music
Enjy Kiwan, Artist
Eric Reithler-Barros, Fold Artists, Inc.
Eve Horne, Peak Music UK/We Are
The Unheard
Faisal Algain, Music Commission
Fat Joe, Artist
Felukah, Artist
Georgia Taglietti, ICNAC
Gevorg Sargsyan, Saudi Music Hub
Ghazi Shami, Empire
Grace Russo, Loco Dice Artist
Management
Habib Achour, SACEM
Hamdy Badr, Craft Media
Hardwell, Artist
Hesham Alarifi, Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property
HH Prince Ahmed Al Saud Bin
Sultan
HH Prince Fahad Bin Faisal
Hijab DJ, Artist
Huan Nguyen, Hypebeast
Iain Hagger, MDLBEAST Recordings
Ian Palmer, MDLBEAST
Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt, International Music Managers Forum
James Rodley, T-Minus
James Temple, Magic Leap
Jana Qazzaz, Sowt
Janet Ashak, YouTube Music
Jara, Artist
Jeme, KNZ Records
Jiggs Thorne, MTN Bushfire Festival
Jillionaire, Artist
José Woldring, The Media Nanny
Juma Assiago, UN-Habitat
Karima Damir, Sony Music
Katie Knight, Balearica Music
Katrin Schlotfeldt, Sparks
Khulood Turkistani, Ministry of Culture
Lana Alshareef, MDLBEAST
Laura-June Clarke, Moonai
Larry Jackson
Leticia Van Riel, LVR Management and Mentoring
Lewamm Ghebremariam, Brenn/ Club Commission Berlin
Lil Eazy, Artist
Liliana Abudalo, YouTube Music
Lina El Sahli, MDLBEAST
Lindi Delight, VibeLab
Lolwah Almuhaidib, MDLBEAST
Louise Stubbs, MDLBEAST
Lujain Bishi, MDLBEAST
Lutz Leichsenring, VibeLab
Lydia Laws, Lydia Laws PR
Lynn Adib, Bedouin Burger
Maha ElNabawi, SceneNoise
Maher Daniel, Artist
Mai Alhelabi, Ministry of Sport
Majed Al Essa, 8ies
Malkin (Ahmed Almalki), Artist
Marcela Rada, University of Lethbridge
Marek Razzouk, Abu Recordings
Marian Bahader, Anghami
Mark Abou Jaoude, Spotify
Mathew Jonson, Freedom Engine
Academy
Mathew Knowles, Music World
Entertainment Corporation
Matthew Dicks, MDLBEAST
Records
Mayssa Karaa, Berklee Abu Dhabi
Megatronic, Femme Fest/ Megatronic MGMT
Michael Jobson, MDLBEAST
Michael Müller, Triangle Agency
Mike Fairburn, Sony Music
Entertainment
Mirik Milan, VibeLab
Mohamad (Moe) Moussa, madhaūs
Entertainment
Mohammed Alsahli, Artist
Mona Alkhadra, MDLBEAST
Mona Halem, Anom Group
Moody Jones, EMPIRE
Moritz Stellmacher, Unit U+2463
GmbH
Munira AlMuammar, MDLBEAST
Nada Alhelabi, MDLBEAST
Nadia Khan, Women in CTRL
Namakau Star, Africa Rising Music Conference
Narcy, Artist
Nasri Atallah, Esquire
Natasha Stambuli, Boomplay
Nedda Akhonbay, MDLBEAST
Nick van de Wall a.k.a. DJ
AFROJACK
Nicolas Matar, NM Entertainment Inc
Nidda Albukhari, MDLBEAST
Niko Seizov, Starling Works
Nizar Al Toraif, Technologist & Artist
Nooriyah, Artist
Nour Said, MDLBEAST Records
Nour Soubra, MDLBEAST
Nourah Alammary, Artist
Omar Agha, KNZ Records
Omar Fayyad, Analog Room
Omar Kabbara, YouTube
Panos Ayassotelis, MDLBEAST
Pascale Haddad Djabulu, Yamaha Music School
Paul Nolan, Make Your Transition
Pfanani Lishivha, SAMPRA
Priya Chandel, Bye Bye Plastic
R3hab, Artist
Raghad Fathaddin, Sangha
"Estidama Hub"
Ralph Boege, Paradise Worldwide
Ramadan Alharatani, MDLBEAST
Rami Farook, Traffic Art
Ramsey George Tesdell, Sowt
Media
Rancido, Artist
Rawan Al Dabbas, IFPI
Rawan Alfassi, MDLBEAST
Ray Dargham, Step Conference
Rayan AlRasheed, MDLBEAST
Rebecca Proctor, Journalist
Rhea Chedid, Spotify
Rishi Patel, Plus 8 Equity
Robert Bock, MDLBEAST
Roberta Hickey, Little Pink Book
Rojeh Khleif, ASAAS
Saadia Zahid, Parsons School of Design
Saeed Saeed, The National
Saint Levant, Artist
Sajid Sayeed, Saudi Motorsport
Company
Salman Hammad, MDLBEAST
Salwa Radwi, NuqtahNFT
Sara Bin Dawood, MDLBEAST
Sarah Beaumont, Defected
Sarah Jane Nicholson, VibeLab
Sarah Nabil, Outlaw Productions
Sasha Tityanko, Sensorium Galaxy
Saulet Mukhamadiyev, MDLBEAST
Sebastian Mullaert, Circle of Live
Shermine Sawalha, Malahi
Entertainment
Shin Cho, Warner Music Asia
Shridhar Subramaniam, Sony Music Entertainment
Sofia Guellaty, MILLE World
Spek, PopArabia/ESMAA
Stavros Antypas, Femme Fest/ Tawahadna
Stefania Garibaldi, Balich Wonder
Studio
Steven Hiemstra, STMPD RCRDS / STMPD Music Publishing
Steven van Lummel, PIP Den Haag
Suhel Nafar, EMPIRE
Sunny Rahbar, The Third Line
Susanne Hazendonk, Spinnin' Records
SVORA, Sensorium Galaxy
Sybel Vazquez, The Arts Club Dubai
Talal Albahiti, MDLBEAST
Tamer Antabi, Artist
Tanya Awad, MDLBEAST
Thomas Scheele, VibeLab
Timmy Mowafi, SceneNoise
Tina Davis, EMPIRE
Titilope Adesanya, EMPIRE
Tito El Kachab, Sandbox Festival
TRISHES, Artist
Tristan Khan, Goosebump
Valentina Palange, Circle of Live Vinyl Mode, Artist/MDLBEAST
Watse de Jong, STMPD RCRDS
Wees Abraham, FrequenC
Zeid Hamdan, Bedouin Burger
Artists
3inshams
Aiiger
Alaa Jazaeri
Alsarah and the Nubatones
Aly Goede
Alyoung
Amera
Anmarz
Anthea
Asayel
Ayman
Ayman Alteeb
Ayman tayseer
AYN
Bader
Baloo
Banah
Bayou
Bedouin Burger
Biirdperson
Blue Paper
Bnxn fka Buju
Capitano GB
Cascou
Chamæleon
Chem-ex
Chiati
Cristina Lazic
Dabous
Daddybisht
Dafenchii
Danah
Darko Delix
Dattune
David Phoenix
Daylomar
Dellah
Disco Arabesque
Dish Dash
DJ 966
DJ Bonita
Djebali
Dorar
Dust
Eduardo Castillo
El Morabba3
Epau
Felukah
Flaan
Flying Saucer
FrenchySaysRelax
Fulana
Fulltone
Garwasha
Giorgia Anguili
Gooner
Hassan Alwan
Hessah Alsanea
Hibotep
Hrag Mikell
J22
Jeed
Jixo & Danz
Juno
K.Led
Kae
Kali-B
Kayan
Khaled
Khalifa Santo
Klinsh
KLO
Lamaz
Leena Qasim
Leil
Lil Eazy
Lowkie
Maher
Maie
Majid
MarSimba
Mathew Jonson
Maxxim
Maysa
Misha
Misty
Moayad
Moe eZo
Mohammed
Moos
Mosaic
Moses
Mustafa Ismaeel
Mutaz
Narcy
Narkbeat
Netam
Noa
Nooriyah
Ntitled
Obeekhay
Omar Fayyad
Oscar L
Osquared
Playyard
Pö
pre kai ro
Raeda
Ralph Nasr
Randar
Rash
RDJ
Real Gang
Reina
Rolbac
Ronin
Saad
Sabah
Saint Levant
Samar Tarik
Samer
Sebastien Mullaert
Shadi Megalla
Shaolin
Shaz
Shiloh Meets World
Shkoon
SkinnyG
Solskin
Sonia
Soulja
Sound of Yaz
Statues of Sinking Men
Steam Down
Tamada
Tamer
Tarab Electro
Teksir
The Synaptik
Tristan Girault
Turkana
Turki
Usif
Varoo
Vinyl Mode
VNSA
Voigtmann
Walid Wadidi
WeDamnz
Whoisbibz
Wywy
Yara
Zaher
Zeina
Zii
Zone+ Brands
AADI
Abu Recordings
Alt Orient
Badiya Studio
BO18
Boogie Box
Brij
EKO
EMPIRE
FemmeFest
Dish Dash x Freedom
Freaks of Nature
Gabu
Glitch
House of Yanos
Lymm
Madhaūs
MDLBEAST Records
Middle of Nowhere
Mixed Feelings
Music Home
Nacelle
Narratives
Noctuary
Nyege Nyege
Oblivion
Paradisea
Retro Groove
Soundscapes
Untamed
Vague
Wall of Sound
WTR
