UMG has received Chabaka Music, a digitally-targeted song marketing and distribution agency that provides companies and products within the Middle East and North Africa — the MENA contrivance.
A press free up this day states, “The acquisition of Chabaka complements UMG’s newest provider providing and footprint within the immediate-rising and dynamic MENA market, which saw growth in recorded song revenues of 23.8% in 2022. This could enable UMG to develop its companies and products and attain within the self reliant label and artist community.”
The acquisition marks one other step in opposition to UMG’s strategic aim of tapping into ‘one of many quickest-rising song markets on this planet.’ Following the acquisition, Chabaka becomes allotment of UMG’s Virgin Music Neighborhood and can aloof work alongside MENA’s local Virgin and UMG groups.
Chabaka is allotment of the CHBK Neighborhood, which additionally owns Concast and Boomerang Studios. Key members of the Chabaka personnel, in conjunction with cofounder and CEO Ala’a Makki, will retain their positions. Cofounder Tarek Makki will proceed to relieve as consultant whereas persevering with his management of diverse companies within CHBK Neighborhood.
Patrick Boulos, CEO of UMG in MENA, believes the contrivance represents untapped capability and opportunity, and Chabaka will give UMG every scale and opportunity ‘especially when mixed with UMG’s world-leading world platform.’
Boulos added, “Chabaka is a unfamiliar sequence of visionary leaders, artists, and labels. I’m in particular chuffed that Ala’a Makki and his personnel will more than likely be a half of us and power the next chapter of Chabaka’s success as allotment of the UMG family.”
Ala’a Makki additionally spoke concerning the tie-up and the regular growth in MENA’s song markets. “These are thrilling cases for the contrivance, and we are overjoyed to yell the partnership between Chabaka and UMG.”
Tarek Makki, cofounder Chabaka, talked about, “With UMG’s world platform, skills, network, and Chabaka’s deep-rooted local skills and presence, we’re all assign to bring an exceptional and unfamiliar providing to the market.”
The acquisition marks Common Music Neighborhood’s second main endeavor within the MENA Situation.
In 2021, UMG paired with entrepreneur Wassim Slaiby to originate Common Arabic Music. Again then, UMG acknowledged that it aimed to ‘imprint nonetheless alternatives to advance Arabic song and tradition with world partners, platforms, and producers.’
In a dispute to realize that aim, UMG additionally promoted Frédéric Voillemot to CFO and EVP of Enterprise Sort for Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
The song industry within the MENA contrivance has been attracting heightened international ardour.
Alongside UMG’s 2021 debut of Common Arabic Music, diverse main labels additionally dove into the contrivance. Warner Music invested hundreds of hundreds in Rotana Music, received Dubai-primarily based totally totally distributor Qanawat Music, and launched Warner Music Israel. Within the meantime, Sony Music launched a skills-targeted unique partnership with Egyptian production and artist administration company, Craft Media.
