Giving Sound Advice: UAE Music Experts Head to XP Conference

A number of UAE-based music industry experts will offer advice and guidance during MDLBEAST’s XP conference. They’ll appear as panelists during the event – the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia. Running December 13 – 15, XP will tackle “topics that are essential for the amplification and evolution of the region’s music industry”.  

The three-day Riyadh conference brings together leading international and regional music industry executives, policy makers, artists and creatives. XP involves workshops, panel discussions and roundtables during the day, and nightlife events after dark. Programming for the event falls under four key pillars – talent, the scene, policy and social impact.

Day 1

On Monday 13 December, founder of music publishing company Pop Arabia, Spek offers advice on music copyright. In his second session, Spek sits on the ‘Understanding How an Artist Gets Paid’ panel. That session delves into royalties and artist payments. Third Eye Crew Events founder and Night Vibes promoter Rima Rached sits on a panel titled ‘A Glance into the Regional Nighttime Economy’. The Artist Network chief and Groove on the Grass promoter Deian Markov is a panelist during a session examining the major players in the region’s music scene. Co-founder of Middle East streaming platform Anghami, Eddy Marron is on the same panel.

Day 2

On Tuesday 14 December, Spek sits on the first panel of the day – ‘The DNA of Talent’. The session revolves around spotting fresh talent early on. He’s also down for another panel that will drill into the impact of new technology on future music rights. Dubai-based DJ, producer and singer-songwriter Megatronic appears for the ‘She Can Play’ session. It focuses on how musicians can build a fanbase. Megatronic returns to a panel hot seat for ‘Influencing Decision Making for the Creative Industries’. 

Day 3

The final day of the conference sees Dubai-based Mike Fairburn speak about ‘The Evolution and Future of Record Labels’. Mike is General Manager at Sony Music Entertainment Middle East. Markov returns to give his thoughts on how music impacts communities socially, culturally and economically. And DJ and producer Josephine de Retour steps up for ‘How Do We Help Get the Music Industry Heard?’

Growth

It’s great to see so many UAE-based industry players on the XP conference programme. “The XP conference will help accelerate the growth of the music industry across the Middle East,” said MDLBEAST CEO Ramadan Alharatani. “We’re bringing together the most forward-thinking people from the world of music who will offer their insights and expertise to provoke conversation and incite positive action to grow our music industry.”

The conference precedes this year’s huge MDLBEAST Soundstorm festival. Find out more about the XP programme and conference tickets here.  

Also read: Saudi Festival MDLBEAST Soundstorm Reveals Mighty DJ Line-Up