Sony Music Publishing, the world's largest music publisher, is expanding its operations in the Middle East and North Africa with a new office in Dubai. The district will be headed by the chief executive officer Dunia Chaabanwho will report to SMP senior vice president of international Dan Nelson.
Chaaban started her career at Anghami, the leading music streamer in the Middle East. After working there for seven years, serving as head of the Arab independent community, Chaaban became director of artist relations at Believe Music. “I look forward to working hand-in-hand with the incredibly talented team at Sony Music Publishing to propel the MENA music industry to new heights,” says Chaaban of her new appointment. “Together, we will create an environment that nurtures creativity, fosters innovation and unlocks the limitless potential of the region's musical landscape.”
The news comes just a day after Universal Music Group announced the opening of a new location at Capitol Studios in the UAE as part of a partnership with DGMC, a local music organisation. The two say they will work together to build a “Music City” that will serve as a regional hub for local and global recording artists and songwriters in the MENA region.
Other music companies have also expanded further into the MENA region in the last year. In October, Warner Music announced its investment in HuManagement, a talent agency based in Dubai. In the past twelve months, Reservoir Media has partnered with PopArabia to acquire Lebanese music label Voice of Beirut, Egyptian label 100COPIES and Saudi Arabian label Mashrex. In May, BMI partnered with Music Nation, a UAE music rights management organization.
Advertising sign also expanded into territory with the release of Billboard Arabia in June. In partnership with media giant SRMG, Billboard Arabia is a region-specific editorial site with two new global charts to track the success of music from the MENA region.
Nelson says: “We are thrilled to welcome Dounia to the Sony Music Publishing team. Dunia's extensive experience working with local talent will be invaluable as we expand opportunities for new and established songwriters and artists across the region. There could not be a more opportune time to launch our business and we look forward to growing our presence in the MENA region.”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/business/publishing/sony-music-publishing-dubai-office-dounia-chaaban-1235606182/