Inside MENA’s music boom: in conversation with Spotify’s Imad Mesdoua

According to Loud & Clear, Spotify’s annual music economics report, artists worldwide are achieving unprecedented success across diverse languages and regions. In 2024, the combined artists who generated at least US$1 million on Spotify recorded music in 17 different languages, up more than double from 2017. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region showed record growth for recorded music revenues, setting it at the top of the global music industry.

WIPO Magazine speaks to Imad Mesdoua, Spotify’s Government Affairs Director for the Middle East and Africa, who explains key growth factors and reveals the “secret sauce” that helps Spotify elevate local scenes and artists to global phenomena.

You’re a former political analyst and a self-declared Pan-Africanist. What drew you to Spotify?

This role is a dream job because it blends so many of the things I care about. I’ve been a Spotify user from as far as I can remember and I’ve always felt a strong connection to music, the arts and policy issues around culture and identity. I come from Algeria, a country that sits at the intersection of Africa and the Arab world. Living across these two regions gave me a strong desire to bridge cultures and elevate local voices. What excites me most about this role is the opportunity to support creative industries in the regions that have shaped me.

MENA is showing record music industry growth despite economic challenges. Why this sudden success?

It’s very heartening to see those statistics and this growth is absolutely not a coincidence. There are a number of catalysts that have been in the background for a long time.

First, the fundamentals for this kind of explosive growth are undeniable. You have a very young population that is highly connected, digitally savvy and very much engaged with music, both locally and globally. It’s a region that’s absolutely bursting with creative talent and its growing domestic demand for it.

Second, streaming platforms have been transformational. If you dig deeper into the data you’ll see that virtually all the revenue flowing back to the music industry in the MENA region comes from streaming. There’s a rising tide that’s lifting artists across every category and genre.

The third catalyst unique to MENA is the significant growth in government investment in the creative industries over the past few years. In markets such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, billions of dollars are flowing from big government programs into different parts of the creative economy, including the infrastructure required for artists to grow, tour, record and showcase their music. This is helping the industry scale at breakneck speed.

The last thing I would say is the role we played in particular. Since Spotify entered the MENA markets in November 2018, we have focused heavily on what we call our curation and editorial strategy, to ensure that local artists get visibility not only domestically but also on the global stage.

What conversations is Spotify having with officials regarding government investment?

My role involves covering a wide range of issues that affect our business, the creative industries and creators generally. My job is to ensure that we are in constructive and ongoing dialogue with governments to shape a regulatory system that allows culture to thrive.

There are many topics on the table at any given time. One of them is copyright reform. Governments across the region are beginning to update their national laws to ensure they reflect how the music industry works today and how the digital ecosystem has evolved.

We see some gaps across these regions in terms of the adoption of WIPO treaties, whether it’s the WIPO Copyright Treaty or the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, which the digital music business is built on. Through our conversations with government officials, we’re trying to encourage reforms that are practical, easy to apply and converge with international best practices and copyright treaties in the music sector.

We’re also discussing a range of issues adjacent to or downstream from copyright reforms, including issues around metadata and better systems for transparency and reporting, which ultimately facilitates collecting and distributing royalties for music publishing and other areas. That’s the first big bucket.

The second big bucket is what I would call operational issues for platforms like ours across these regions. Specifically, I’m talking about platform licensing systems, taxation issues and other tech sector regulations. We try to encourage flexibility and a better understanding of the unique business model of digital streaming platforms.

The Spotify Loud & Clear report shows that some artists are receiving more royalties from abroad than from their home countries. Why do you think that is?

One of Spotify’s advantages is that it’s a global platform. Statistically, one in every 13 people around the world use our platform, so regional artists can access a global community of users. Our first quarter 2025 earnings show 268 million paid subscribers and 678 million monthly active users, up 10 percent year-on-year.

At the same time, with so many tracks being uploaded every day, it can be difficult to break through to audiences globally. The curation element that we’re employing locally plays a significant part in ensuring that artists get to see the benefits of that rising tide. That support, coupled with other initiatives, creates new opportunities for artists to grow their fanbases.

You can see it in our latest Loud & Clear numbers. If you look at the royalties that Spotify paid to the local industry in Nigeria in 2024, they reached NGN58 billion (about US$36 million). That’s double what was paid in 2023. In South Africa, we paid nearly ZAR400 million (about US$21 million) in 2024 – again, double the 2022 figure. A considerable portion of those revenues came from listeners outside the artists’ home markets, which confirms that when local talent gets global exposure, the impact can be felt economically.

Let’s discuss Spotify’s curation and editorial strategy, which you mentioned.

Discovery and personalization are core to Spotify’s secret sauce. No two Spotify experiences look the same and that’s down to the tailored user experience. A big part of that is driven by sophisticated algorithms but a large part of it is also human curation.

We have incredibly talented music editors all over the world, who have a deep knowledge of the scenes they cover. They live and breathe music and understand not only the artists’ back catalogues but also what’s in the pipeline. Their role is central because they are connected to the local musical ecosystem by staying close to artists, their teams and the wider industry.

Can you give an example of how this works in practice?

We’re seeing genres such as Afrobeats from Nigeria and Amapiano from South Africa becoming popular globally. Our editors playlist songs from these genres across our platform, which plays a major role in spotlighting these sounds and helping artists reach new audiences around the world. Then Spotify editorial programs such as Radar Africa help up-and-coming artists through platform support and off-platform marketing. Radar Africa has featured stars like Tems, Tyla and Ayra Starr at the cusp of their careers.

In MENA, local music scenes are also booming, whether it’s the rap scene in Morocco or Egypt, pop and Khaliji sounds in the Levant and Gulf regions. The rise of these genres is captured in flagship playlists like Melouk El Scene, Yalla and Abatera. Programs like Equal Arabia also spotlight women artists, including Assala Nassri, Balqees and Angham, to grow their audience at home and internationally.

This sounds like modern radio DJs but with data. How does this help artists directly?

Not quite. Unlike radio, Spotify is not about passive listening. Our users actively choose what they want to hear. That gives us a much clearer picture of what people actually connect with. That’s a big difference. Spotify also provides artists with the tools to take ownership of their career development.

We have a platform called Spotify for Artists, which allows artists to upload promotional clips but, most importantly, to monitor the data behind their listenership. They can connect with their fans, see where their listeners are and how long they are tuning in, and how their songs are performing in real time. That kind of data gives artists and their teams the power to grow with intention, which isn’t something radio can offer.

What’s the outlook for the MENA region? And who should we listen to next?

I’m convinced that MENA and Africa will continue to shape global music culture. I can’t tell you how excited I am to see artists from this region becoming global household names, whether that’s Tyla and Amaarae performing at Coachella, or Mishaal Tamer, a Saudi artist, breaking into viral charts in Latin America.

This year, I went to watch Coldplay in Abu Dhabi. Elyanna, a Chilean-Palestinian artist, was the opening act for their world tour. Sometimes we need to pause and appreciate just how remarkable these moments are.

I do my best to keep a close ear on new artists from the region but if you want to discover the next wave of standout talent for yourself, start with our Radar Arabia or Radar Africa playlists. The creativity coming out of these playlists is world-class and absolutely worth your time. The future is truly bright!

What’s happening in our regions shows that music is more than entertainment. It’s fueling economic growth, creating jobs and turning local industries into global forces. It’s also soft-power at its best, connecting people and cultures when we need it most. I’m so excited I get to contribute to that in my role, even if in a modest way.

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This interview has been edited and condensed from two conversations. Find all latest articles with a focus on music in this special edition of WIPO Magazine.