- Sony Music Entertainment Middle East and Craft Media Sign Exclusive Partnership to Sign Arabic Superstars
- Jul 18, 2022
DUBAI, Monday 18 July, 2022 – Sony Music Entertainment Middle East and leading Egyptian music and event production company, Craft Media, announced today an exclusive partnership to sign, produce and promote Arabic artists and music across the Middle East.
The new agreement cements the relationship between the two companies, which, since early 2021, has created some of the biggest hits across the Middle East.
Working together with Craft Media and its founder Hamdy Badr, one of the leading producers in the Arab world, the partnership has turned out a series of hits in the regional charts, including songs by pan Arab super stars such as: “Kelna Mnenjar” by Wael Kfoury, “Elghazala Ra2ya” by Karim Mahmoud Abdelaziz, “Sayrena Ya Donia” by Ahmed Saad, ‘Damayer’ by the iconic Elissa and “Ya Fatenny”, one of the biggest global Arabic albums by Hamaki, featuring chart toppers “Law Hatsib”, “Tak, “Zayaha Meen” and “La Malama”. Together, these songs have enjoyed over 70 weeks of cumulative chart time since May 2021.
The IFPI identified the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as the fastest-growing recorded music region in this year’s Global Music Report, with increased social media consumption, more people using short form video platforms and streaming of music accounting for 95.3 per cent of the region’s overall revenue. Through this agreement, the two companies will continue to focus on supporting this growth with sustained investment in Arab World hits and stars.
“At Sony Music, we have always believed in the power of collaboration in spurring innovation and creating new opportunities for our artists. The result of our partnership with Hamdy and Craft Media speaks for itself. Craft Media’s creative prowess, coupled with our years of experience in the music industry and international network of talent and collaborators, give our artists an edge in a competitive market,” said Mike Fairburn, General Manager, Sony Music Middle East. “Today’s partnership sets in motion a long-term strategy to expand the influence of Arabic music and artists across the region and beyond.”
“I am extremely delighted to strengthen our partnership with Sony Music through the agreement today,’’ added Hamdy Badr, Founder, Craft Media. “We have had a phenomenal year and our commitment to each other validates our confidence in what we can achieve for artists, their music, and the regional industry by working together as a team. I could not ask for a more trusting, passionate group of people to partner with than Sony Music and we are very excited about what’s to come in the months and years ahead.”
The first partnership between Sony Music Middle East and Craft Media first began when Egyptian superstar Hamaki, managed by Badr, became the first Arabic artist to perform in the popular online game Fortnite as part of its Soundwave Series concert in October 2021.