Launched in 2012, Anghami was the first music-streaming platform in MENA to digitize the region’s music. Today, it is the most-established and fastest-growing music technology platform in the Middle East and North Africa region and the go-to destination for Arabic and International music, podcasts, and entertainment. With an extensive ecosystem of music, podcasts, events, and more, Anghami provides the tools for anyone to create, curate and share their voice with the world.
Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, Anghami has offices in Beirut, Dubai, Cairo, and Riyadh and operates in 16 countries across MENA. It remains close to its customer base, not only thanks to its pan-regional presence but also via the 56 million user data points it generates every day.
In conversation with Anghami’s Content Operations Manager, Salam Kmeid, and Head of Curation, Fady Ferraye, here are some questions we asked about the brand’s journey and offerings.
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1. Tell us the story about how Anghami started
Anghami started in 2012 as a startup in the Middle East and North Africa. The name Anghami stands for “My Tunes” in Arabic. At that time, the region was highly dependent on piracy, there was no legal way to listen to music and have the music industry remunerated. Anghami today is the biggest audio streaming service in the MENA region, with over 70+ million users and 72+ million Arabic and International songs, podcasts and audiobooks.
Anghami shifted from being a startup to being a public company on NASDAQ in February 2022.
2. What makes Anghami unique compared to other DSPs?
Anghami is a local player which understands Arabic music and its consumption across the different cultures around the region, and also knows how the region consumes International music differently. What’s unique about us is that we’re able to cater to each country in a unique way, which makes us more relevant to our core audience.
3. Tell us more about both of your journeys and roles at Anghami
Salam: I started at Anghami around 11 years ago as a music intern. I grew today with the company and leading on all Content and Music related initiatives. My role is focused on strategy, on empowering artists and creators, on creating activations around music and releases, and growing the artist’s fanbase and user base through music.
Fady: I started my journey at Anghami 9 years ago. My job was to identify the appropriate, trending and relevant content to be added to playlists based on genre, mood and activity. Today I am leading the Curation team, a group of passionate music lovers, whose role is to discover new music, local, international, indie and mainstream in order to curate and maintain varied playlists that are relevant to the musical taste and everyday’s soundtrack of the Arab world.
4. What does Anghami offer to artists that they can benefit from?
Anghami offers artists unique tools and opportunities that they can use to grow their fanbase in the region. Through Anghami for Creators, artists have the ability to upload music for free to the platform, earning 100% of their royalties with $0 fees. They also have access to pitch their music to thousands of playlists and boost their music through our Amplify program. In addition to taking control of their profile, artists also have access to Live Radio, which is a unique feature to Anghami, which allows artists to go live on the main Anghami app and interact with their fans in a private room. They get the chance to host virtual meet and greets through Live Radio, have exclusive listening sessions, play music, reach a high number of claps, and engage with their audience globally.
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Submit to their editorial playlists directly on Groover 👈
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5. What’s next for Anghami?
Anghami will keep focusing on Arabic music to grow the local scene and bridge the gap between the Arabic and Global scenes .
We launched Anghami Lab Riyadh as one of our 2022 initiatives, which is the largest and first-of-its-kind rooftop entertainment venue in Saudi Arabia, located at Boulevard Riyadh City, creating a unique space for original new music, live performances, and culinary delights. There’s a lot to look forward to in 2023, including our new “Anghami for Creators” platform which allows artists, podcasters, and creators access to more tools to grow on Anghami and engage with their fans.
Groover is a great way to submit your music directly to Anghami – Here’s how:It’s quite simple; create an account on Groover for free and you can get in touch with Anghami here through Top Curators. Follow the step-by-step indications to send your music to the platform and get your music heard by our team.
Want to try Groover out? Anghami users can now enjoy a 10% discount. Sign up on Groover and use the code ANGHAMIGROOVERVIP [more explanations on how to apply the special discount here]
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