Say hi to Spotify as the music service hits the Middle East
Saeed Saeed sits down with the Dubai team of the music-streaming service to find out what it has in store for listeners and artists
Spotify’s arrival in the UAE wasn’t exactly a big secret.
Rumours swirled about the Swedish music streaming service coming to Dubai as long as a year ago. This was followed by a rash of job vacancies, ranging from editorial to technical (whatever “content ingestion officer” means). Finally came the service’s low-key arrival in certain markets – the Spotify hashtag erupted with celebratory posts from users in Oman and Kuwait saying the service was accessible in their countries at last.
It was officially launched across countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa on Tuesday.
More than 40 million songs are now available through millions of albums and playlists
You will find playlists about Moroccan rap, Egyptian shaabi songs, Khaleeji songs and Saudi reggae
TAMIM FARES
Spotify
Users in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Palestine can now access the service free of charge. Premium membership costing Dh19.99 a month will offer streaming uninterrupted by commercials. Premium customers can also download songs that can be listened to offline.
In an exclusive interview with Spotify Mena in Dubai Media City, there is a palpable sense of excitement and urgency from the team. There is also the growing satisfaction of a well-laid plan nearing its completion – even if it means Spotify arriving to the region well after Apple Music Mena and Anghami, which both have offices in the emirate.
“When it comes to launches, we do things step by step,” says Claudius Boller, the Dubai-based managing director for the Mena region. “So it is not a question about us coming late, because a lot of things need to be done.
“Once we enter a market, we are absolutely serious about our moves, from all the music and licensing deals to the playlist creation by our strong team of editors which is all done to fulfil local expectations and ours too – which are both very high.”
So, what do we get? Nearly the full Spotify experience.
More than 40 million songs are now available through millions of albums and playlists uploaded by Spotify community members (almost 191 million monthly active users), artists and professional curators.
Spotify’s signature mood playlists – of which former Formula One champion Nico Rosberg is an avid user – are also available with temperaments ranging from Focus, Party and Chill to Work Out and Jazzy Dinner.
The only thing missing is Spotify’s growing array of exciting podcasts, because of rights issues. However, Spotify Mena is looking forward to launching regionally based podcasts in the future. Spotify Mena can also be accessed in Arabic – complete with right to left script – if your mobile device (whether iPhone or Android) is set up for Arabic. Alternatively, you can access albums using the Arabic language on Spotify’s English interface by simply converting your phone keyboard. And the Arabic language style used by Spotify curators for its artist and playlist bios is simple and conversational. There is also a generous amount of content created specifically for the region. Through its select curators based in Dubai and abroad, more than 40 new region-specific playlists have been added.
“With these playlists, we are trying to cover as many geographies as we can,” said Tamim Fares from the marketing strategy team. “So you will find playlists about Moroccan rap, Egyptian shaabi songs, Khaleeji songs and even Saudi Arabian reggae. It is not just about being mainstream – there is a lot of great music out today that we want to raise awareness of.”
That said, for those seeking more commercial sounds of the likes of Najwa Karam and Amr Diab, they can refer to Top Arabic Hits, Oriental Chill Vibes and Arabic EDM song collections. All playlists are updated regularly. But what about independent artists?
Although Spotify’s regional playlists will also highlight the Middle East’s thriving independent scene, Boller says artists themselves need to step up and make the most of the service.
As part of the preparations for the Mena launch, Boller and his team held various low-key consultations across the region with musicians and influential music personalities to explain the relationship dynamic between the service and the artist. More high-profile public information sessions for artists are in the works.
Until then, a Spotify for Artists page is available for free for all members, explaining the service’s content guidelines and how artists can upload their original music.
When it comes to the latter, Boller stresses it can only be done through a third party, which could be a label or distributor. “It is not like a video platform where you can upload it yourself,” he says. “If you are an independent artist, you can go through a distributor because they can ensure that you get your royalty for your streams.”
How do these artists get paid? The way the Spotify system works for independent artists depends on the arrangement you have with your distributor. Some may charge a fee to release your track and deliver your royalties, while others may waive their distribution fee and take a small cut of your song’s earnings.
“The game is based on consumption,” said Michael Krause, Spotify’s managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “The way it works is that all the money we make all goes to one central pot and we pay it out depending on the rate of consumption for each artist each given month. The important thing to note is that we pay for each stream played in either our free or paid service.”
While the payment rates are varied, there has been various news reports that Spotify’s streaming rates range from to $0.006 (2 fils) to $0.008 per stream, and is paid to the song’s rights holder.
For those not versed with the ins and outs of the music industry, Spotify recommends half a dozen distributors on its artist page whom they deem deliver a quality service.
As well as ensuring orderly payment, Boller says that having a distributor is also worth the investment because they will ensure the artist’s music is heard far and wide. “Sometimes you see DIY artists, who are very excited about their music, upload their song on a video platform and after a couple of days they upload it to a music service,” he says. “It is quite important that artists should make their music available at the same time to all platforms, and that’s where a third-party distributor can do that. If your music creates interest on the video platform and listeners cannot find it on the music streaming service, then you would push them to piracy.”
However, when it comes to a profile page, the artist is in complete control. In addition to creating playlists of originals or personal favourites that they can distribute to fans, the page provides the musicians with valuable data about their listeners.
“It is powerful because the artist page can do different things with their music. For example, if they work with another artist on a collaboration, the data will give the artist immediate feedback on how it was received,” Boller says. “It is a real feedback channel, not one that comes from a DJ or radio station or moderator. It is from the users themselves.”
The general principle of Spotify, and arguably most streaming services, is that it gets better over time. When it comes to consumers, the more you use it, the more Spotify algorithms will look at your musical choices and recommend complimentary playlists and artists.
Krause says the same approach applies when it comes to Spotify-driven events. For example, he points to the US success of the Spotify’s hip-hop playlist Rap Caviar, which has 10 million followers.
As a result, Rap Caviar has also become a travelling American festival organised by Spotify that featured live performances from playlist favourites such as Chance the Rapper, Migos, Cardi B and Lil Uzi Vert.
While Krause wouldn’t rule out the UAE hosting a Spotify-organised music festival or concert, he says it all depends on what the regional market wants.
“We are very customer-driven, so if they express interest in the playlist and the lifestyle surrounding it, then we will definitely look into it.”
For more information or to join Spotify, visit www.spotify.com