Interview: Spotify’s MEA MD reveals how the company is supporting more creators

Claudius Boller, Spotify’s managing director for the Middle East and Europe (MEA) region spoke to Arab News. (Supplied)
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Updated 03 May 2021
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Interview: Spotify’s MEA MD reveals how the company is supporting more creators

  • Spotify initiatives aims to put regional Arab talent on global stage

DUBAI: Spotify, which started as a small startup in Sweden, is now a leading audio streaming company across 178 markets.

The company recently posted financial results for the first quarter of this year, revealing that its monthly active users had grown by 24 percent year-on-year (YOY) to 356 million.

Audiences’ appetite for premium content had also grown as reflected in a 21 percent YOY growth in premium subscribers.

However, Claudius Boller, Spotify’s managing director for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, told Arab News that the upsurge was not just about an increase in the number of users.

“It’s very much across the parameters of discoverability, experience, and engagement, and we are truly leading on the engagement side,” he said.

Spotify’s integration with more than 2,000 types of software and devices, including Google Maps and PlayStation, had also played a significant role in increasing user engagement, he added.

For example, engagement on Spotify via PlayStation was particularly high in the MENA region, with gamers using the app to “customize and localize their gaming experience with Arabic music.”

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Marking the next chapter of its program in the Middle East region, Spotify collaborated with Jordanian viral sensation Issam Al-Najjar as its latest RADAR artist in the MENA region. More here.

Boller said: “These trends encourage us to double down on our investments and our commitment to the region and to further localize on a country-by-country basis.”

But, for now, the company has no plans to open any more offices in the region and will continue to operate out of its Dubai office.

In February, Spotify launched its Work From Anywhere program, which enables employees to work full time from home or the office or a mix of the two. Boller quoted the company’s founder and CEO, Daniel Ek, as saying, “work is not a place that you go to; work is something that you do.” And for now, that work is focused on attracting and working with talent from all countries – whether from home or an office.

Working with creators has become an increasingly high priority for the platform. “We provide them (creators) with direct access to the data and put the power in their hands. So, we’re equally focused on not just the consumers, but also on the creators,” Boller added.

Spotify has been criticized for not paying artists more – especially in relation to the number of streams. On its website, the company said: “In the streaming era, fans do not pay per song, so we don’t believe a per stream rate is a meaningful number to analyze. Instead, we’re focused on maximizing the total size of the payments we are able to make to rights holders.”

The MD said: “We never pay artists directly, which also helps us to treat all creators equally.”

Up to last year, Spotify had paid more than $23 billion in royalties to rights holders, including in excess of $5 billion in 2020 alone, up from $3.3 billion in 2017.

Boller reiterated the company’s commitment to supporting creators through programs such as RADAR, Sawtik, and EQUAL.

Launched in March 2020, RADAR is a global emerging artist program localized on a market-by-market basis. In the MENA region, Spotify partnered with Jordanian artist, Issam Al-Najjar, who was then promoted across billboards in the US and Canada.

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Spotify is launching “Equal,” a global commitment dedicated to fostering equity for women in audio and celebrating their contributions. Click here for more.

The initiative is aimed “at spotlighting rising talents from around the globe” and also giving regional artists a global stage, added Boller. “This really puts young Arab talent on the global world stage of music, which is truly exciting.”

Both of Spotify’s other programs, Sawtik and EQUAL, are aimed at supporting and amplifying female talent.

Sawtik was launched in November for the MENA region, while EQUAL is a global program introduced in March.

According to a Nielsen study, 60 percent of aspiring female artists in the MENA region feel stigmatized for pursuing a career in music. Yet, 86 percent of the labels agreed that there was a demand for Arab female artists but finding them was a challenge. “We believe this needs to change,” said Boller.

Under the Sawtik program, Spotify worked with 16 young regional artists and launched a regional campaign that included female artists taking over the covers of 18 flagship playlists. It also partnered with Tunisian pop singer Latifa – a “godmother” as Boller described her – who took the young artists under her wing.

These initiatives are regarded by Spotify as a testament to its commitment not only to creators but also to the region.

While Boller did not reveal the company’s exact plans for the future, he said it was growing its team, especially on the partnerships front, and that there were “some very interesting things to come.”


Google has launched new film and TV production wing, Business Insider reports

Updated 1 min ago
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Google has launched new film and TV production wing, Business Insider reports

  • Move could help it capitalize on an industry reeling from rising production costs and potential US tariffs
  • Google is looking to boost the visibility and adoption of its newer offerings including AI and spatial computing tools
LONDON: Google has launched a new film and TV production initiative to scout projects it could fund or co-produce, Business Insider reported, a move that could help it capitalize on an industry reeling from rising production costs and potential US tariffs.
The initiative, called “100 Zeros,” is a multi-year partnership with Range Media Partners, a talent firm and production company known for its work on films including “A Complete Unknown” and “Longlegs,” according to the report on Monday.
Alphabet-owned Google is looking to boost the visibility and adoption of its newer offerings including AI and spatial computing tools that blend the physical and virtual worlds through the initiative, which backed the marketing of indie horror film “Cuckoo” last year, the report said.
100 Zeros is among the producers for “Cuckoo,” according to entertainment-focused social platform Letterboxd.
Google did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The reported move comes as Hollywood grapples with higher costs after twin strikes in 2023 by actors and writers, as well as the threat of US tariffs on foreign-made films.
Google already has a partnership with Range Media — it announced last month the companies would work together over the next 18 months to commission films about AI. The first two films from the venture — called “Sweetwater” and “LUCID” — are set to release later this year.
Using Hollywood’s cultural clout could also help the tech giant in the AI race as it rushes to drive up adoption of its services such as Gemini, which competes with the likes of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The company, however, is not looking at YouTube as a primary distribution platform for 100 Zeros’ work, Business Insider reported, adding the goal instead was to sell projects to traditional studios and streamers such as Netflix.
YouTube had ventured into original programming in 2016 with the launch of “YouTube Originals.” The project was shuttered in 2022 as it pivoted back to its core focus on user-generated videos and ramped up its TikTok-style short-form offering, Shorts.

New York Times wins 4 Pulitzers, New Yorker 3; Washington Post wins for coverage of Trump shooting

Updated 05 May 2025
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New York Times wins 4 Pulitzers, New Yorker 3; Washington Post wins for coverage of Trump shooting

  • The Pulitzers honored the best in journalism from 2024 in 15 categories, along with eight arts categories including books, music and theater

NEW YORK: The New York Times won four Pulitzer Prizes and the New Yorker three on Monday for journalism in 2024 that touched on topics like the fentanyl crisis, the US military and last summer’s assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.
The Pulitzers’ prestigious public service medal went to ProPublica for the second straight year. Kavitha Surana, Lizzie Presser, Cassandra Jaramillo and Stacy Kranitz were honored for reporting on pregnant women who died after doctors delayed urgent care in states with strict abortion laws.
The Washington Post won for “urgent and illuminating” breaking news coverage of the Trump assassination attempt. The Pultizers honored Ann Telnaes, who quit the Post in January after the news outlet refused to run her editorial cartoon lampooning tech chiefs — including Post owner Jeff Bezos — cozying up to Trump.
The Pulitzers honored the best in journalism from 2024 in 15 categories, along with eight arts categories including books, music and theater. The public service winner receives a gold medal. All other winners receive $15,000.
The Times’ Azam Ahmed and Christina Goldbaum and contributing writer Matthieu Aikins won an explanatory reporting prize for examining US policy failures in Afghanistan. The newspaper’s Doug Mills won in breaking news photography for his images of the assassination attempt. Declan Walsh and the Times’ staff won for an investigation into the Sudan conflict. Alissa Zhu, Nick Thieme and Jessica Gallagher won in local reporting, an award shared by the Times and The Baltimore Banner, for reporting on that city’s fentanyl crisis.
The New Yorker’s Mosab Abu Toha won for his commentaries on Gaza. The magazine also won for its “In the Dark” podcast about the killing of Iraqi civilians by the US military and in feature photography for Moises Saman’s pictures of the Sednaya prison in Syria.
 

 


BBC to investigate Arabic service over allegations of antisemitism

Updated 05 May 2025
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BBC to investigate Arabic service over allegations of antisemitism

  • The Telegraph reported last week that freelance contributors had made antisemitic comments or expressed support for Hamas

LONDON: The BBC is preparing to launch an independent investigation into its Arabic-language service following allegations that it has featured contributors accused of antisemitic remarks and support for Hamas.

BBC Chairman Dr. Samir Shah confirmed over the weekend that the corporation would appoint an external figure to lead a review into the broadcaster’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict and examine the issues raised by a recent report in The Telegraph.

“The Arabic service, we are looking at it, we’ve been examining it,” Shah told Times Radio. “I think this whole business of how we’ve covered Israel-Gaza is a proper thing to examine thoroughly, which is why we’re going to identify … we’re going to get hold of an independent figure to look at our coverage.”

According to BBC sources cited by UK media, the review will be “independent and published in full” and presented to the BBC board as part of a broader evaluation of its Middle East reporting.

Shah, who became chairman of the BBC in March 2024, said the corporation must remain vigilant regarding bias but maintained that the BBC continues to be a trusted source for impartial news.

The announcement follows a report by The Telegraph that some contributors to BBC Arabic had made antisemitic comments or expressed support for Hamas, a group proscribed as a terrorist organization by the UK, US, EU, and others, including Saudi Arabia.

One contributor, Gaza-based journalist Samer Elzaenen, reportedly posted in 2011 that Jews should be burned “as Hitler did.” Another, Ahmed Qannan, allegedly praised a 2022 shooter who killed five people in Israel and expressed hope that victims of a 2023 synagogue shooting would die.

The BBC has said that neither contributor is a member of staff but did not deny their appearances on air. Both are understood to be freelance contributors.

The broadcaster is also facing criticism over a recent documentary on the war in Gaza, after it was revealed that the narrator was the son of a Hamas government minister — information that was not disclosed in the film. The BBC said it was unaware of the familial connection at the time of production.

The documentary has since been removed from its on-demand platform pending a separate review.

The incident has reignited debate over the BBC’s editorial stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, with critics on both sides accusing it of bias. Hundreds of media figures have defended the film, arguing that a narrator’s family connections should not disqualify them from participating or undermine their testimony and criticizing the BBC for pulling an “essential piece of journalism” that offers “a rare perspective on the lived experiences of Palestinians.”

The BBC, which has been marred by controversy since conflict broke out between Hamas and Israel in October 2023, has also faced political pressure over its decision not to label Hamas a terrorist organization in its reporting.

Defending the approach, Shah told Times Radio the BBC board had agreed to use the term only when it is attributed to a source, consistent with the broadcaster’s editorial guidelines.


State of the Saudi media sector and investment opportunities it offers

Updated 04 May 2025
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State of the Saudi media sector and investment opportunities it offers

RIYADH: The General Authority for Media Regulation has released a report, “The State of the Saudi Media Sector and Investment Opportunities for 2024,” which provides an overview of the media landscape in the Kingdom and highlights the significant transformations the sector is undergoing to keep pace with Saudi Vision 2030.

The report reflects promising investment opportunities, in addition to the technical and regulatory shifts that support the growth and sustainability of the sector. It also illustrates the magnitude of the boom in the Saudi media sector, which has achieved remarkable development driven by digital transformation and technological advance, improving the efficiency of media content and enhancing its global competitiveness.

The media authority’s estimates in the report indicate that the contribution of the media sector to the direct and indirect gross domestic product increased to 0.57 per cent in 2024, amounting to SAR16 billion ($4.26 billion), compared with 0.52 per cent in 2023.

The authority continues to work towards achieving its ambitious goals of raising this percentage to 0.8 percent by 2030. In terms of investment in human capital, job growth reached 67,000 jobs, with a rate of 22 percent by the end of 2024, with the aim of reaching 160,000 jobs by 2030.

The report also identified six key transformations in the media industry in the Kingdom, including the increasing demand for local content, developing media infrastructure, adopting modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality, improving the regulatory environment, supporting national talents and competencies, and expanding investment opportunities.

The report confirms that the Kingdom has become a prominent destination for media investment, providing a flexible regulatory environment and mega-projects aimed at enhancing the media industry.

It also addressed the opportunities available to investors in content production, the development of electronic games, investment in media infrastructure, and international partnerships in the Saudi media market. In addition, the continued innovation and adoption of modern technologies to enhance the competitiveness of Saudi media globally is a crucial factor because the sector has elements that make it one of the main drivers of economic and cultural development in the Kingdom.

The report details the opportunities and challenges in the sector and covers the five media divisions supervised by the General Authority for Media Regulation: publishing; audio; visual; advertising; and games sectors.

The authority, through the report, hopes to improve understanding of the local media landscape and provide clear and accurate data to media entities and local and international investors, to highlight the promising opportunities in the sector.

The report is a comprehensive reference for the state of media in the Kingdom and is provides a guide for local and international investors and researchers in the sector. The authority urges interested partis to view the report on its website at https://gmedia.gov.sa/ar/media-status-report


Algerian TV channel suspended for racism against African migrants

Echorouk News TV. (X @echoroukonline)
Updated 03 May 2025
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Algerian TV channel suspended for racism against African migrants

  • Since the start of April, Algeria has expelled some 5,000 Africans to neighbouring Niger, according to state television. About half were from Niger

ALGIERS: Algerian authorities on Friday suspended broadcasts by a television news channel for 10 days after it used a racist word on social media to describe African migrants.
Echorouk News TV used the derogatory word in a Facebook post after police raids in which migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were detained.
The ANIRA broadcasting authority called the publication "extremely serious".
The report contained "a racist and discriminatory term, an attack on human dignity, conveying hate speech against a category of people because of their race," said ANIRA which demanded that the channel's management make an official apology.
Tens of thousands of undocumented African migrants have used Algeria as a staging post to attempt to get to Europe. Many have sought jobs in the North African country.
Since the start of April, Algeria has expelled some 5,000 Africans to neighbouring Niger, according to state television. About half were from Niger.