MENA: TikTok inks licensing deal with Saudi label Rotana

Rotana Music Group was established in 1993 and forms part of Rotana Holdings. It is the Arab world’s biggest record label, boasting Tunisian singer Shayma Helali and Saudi legend Mohamad Abdo among its signees. The company is headquartered in the Saudi capital Riyadh with branches in Jeddah, Dubai, Kuwait, Cairo and Beirut. 

The Chinese-owned TikTok is hugely popular across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a substantial community using the platform to share content relating to music, sport and culture.

Rotana CEO Salem al-Hindi says his outfit is “very thrilled with this licensing agreement, which will facilitate Arab music reach into the MENA music industry and young communities.”

“The creative culture in MENA is so vibrant and diverse, and this agreement will enhance the exchange of music content, while promoting and supporting local artists on a proven leading platform for short-form videos,” he said.

Hari Nair, TikTok head of music for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, said: “As TikTok continues to grow across the Middle East and North Africa, becoming a cultural force in the region, we’re delighted to bring the biggest independent catalogue to our platform.

“Rotana Music Group represents some of the greatest names in music, spanning multiple genres and countries, and we know our community will be inspired by this repertoire for their own video creations. TikTok is committed to licensing and ensuring a broad, diverse range of sounds in our library for our global community to enjoy.”

Last year, Rotana struck a partnership with Arab world-facing music streaming platform Anghami, which boasts a catalogue of more than 75 million songs, 75 million registered users and about 1 billion streams a month.