Ma'ana Music Show

In this episode we chatted about a host of topics from helping kids of opportunity with his Hip Hop University, diversifying revenue within the music industry, his new music distribution service for MENA musician, Audioswim and the newly founded Emirates Music Summit.

Albert M. Carter is a dedicated, creative, passionate and award winning music entrepreneur, author, and international educator taking the Middle East and US by storm. His work is helping to shift the cultural landscape of the music industry with innovative approaches to solve common problems. With his forward thinking methods, the self proclaimed culture shifter, helps artists understand the value of their music and learn what it takes to make it in the music business at a global level. As co-founder of Hip Hop University, Emirates Music Summit and AudioSwim Music Distribution, Albert has built his reputation as a champion for artists.  Albert has hands on, practical experience working in various genres of music worldwide and is adept at building sustainable relationships with record labels, brands and artists along with governmental agencies at the local, state, federal and international levels. Influential and deeply entwined with music across multiple genres and cultures,  he is a mentor and educator with a vision to enhance the quality of life through music.

Contact Albert.

[email protected]

https://www.albertmcarter.com

https://www.facebook.com/Albertmcarter

https://twitter.com/bertobrownmusic

https://www.linkedin.com/in/albert-carter-m-ed-30086b8b/

https://www.instagram.com/berto_brown/

More about Learning Hub.Ma’ana Lab Musiqaa

More about Ma’ana https://www.maaanmusic.com

Please contact [email protected] in need any help with your music career

In this show we spoke about Hip Hop culture thats unique around the globe but linked buy a common thread. The rise of B Boy and Hip Hop culture in the MENA region. The growth of Morocco and Sudanese hip hop markets , with Egypt and Lebanon as power houses of MENA music culture. What artists need to have ignorer to get partnerships with corporate brands, and how to leverage your skills to earn extra income as a musicians as well as how to approach brands.

Omar Tom, commonly known as OT is an entrepreneur, strategic planner, educator and public speaker. OT is the Cofounder and Partner at Dukkan Media, a marketing and cultural consultancy  known in the industry as the leader in contemporary Middle Eastern culture. Through which, OT has made a name for himself in the industry as a cultural expert and catalyst, connecting businesses and communities together.

Moving At the speed of cultural change, and nurturing deep roots, OT has developed award winning and impactful work for a diverse range of brands across the Middle East and San Francisco such as Nike, Dubai sports council, YouTube, Converse, GMC, Kiva.org, Whole Foods, McDonalds, Red Bull, DU and Omantel to name a few. He currently guest lectures at the American University in Dubai (A.U.D.) on Strategic Planning, Creative Thinking and Opportunities In New Media.

His expertise extend to building unique, purposeful brands, as well as developing original content programs such as Dukkan Show (Dukkan Media’s pilot podcast), The Forever Student, Rakwet Ahweh Podcasts. He is the driving force behind creating deep and culturally rooted creative business solutions.  OT is a celebrated graduate of both Miami Ad School and AUD.

More about Ma’ana https://www.maaanmusic.com

Please contact [email protected] in need any help with your music career

For this episode I got down and dirty talking about the very ambiguous topic of music publishing rights within the MENA region, with the CEO of PopArabia commonly known as Spek.

PopArabia is the leading rights consultancy and independent music company in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). PopArabia represents the leading music publishing catalogues in the world including Sony/ATV Music Publishing (including the EMI Music Publishing catalogue), BMG Rights Management, Concord Music, Peermusic, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing, Round Hill Music, Atlas Music Publishing and others in the MENA region. We also represent the BMG and EMI Play Production Music libraries.

Spek and I speak about what publishing rights are and explore the publishing rights landscape within the Middle East. Spek explains the difference of sound recording rights and composition rights as well as music rights within the live streaming space. We touch on whether blockchain is a possible solution to the music industry data challenges and finally he gives some advice to buddy musicians.

To contact Spek - email https://www.poparabia.com/contact

More about Learning Hub.Ma’ana Lab Musiqaa

More about Ma’ana https://www.maaanmusic.com

More about host Tobie Allen Facebook Link

Please contact [email protected] in need any help with your music career

In this episode, we had a chat with Hadi. Hadi is a singer-songwriter from Lebanon, currently based in Dubai. Hadi’s sound blends elements of pop, electronic, and indie. His lyrical themes stem from inspiring personal stories and experiences. He is signed with Universal Music and has opened for James Arthur, Bastille, and Tom Odell. He has been featured on multiple platforms including Rolling Stone, Redbull.com, Khaleej Times, The National, and many more

We spoke about how many releases a month Hadi releases and why. The power of social media and how Hadi creates his content. What platforms he utilises as a musician. We delve into what type of content works for him as an artist. How building connections helps as an artist and what its like being signed to a major label amongst a host of other topics.

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/aytch4687

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hadiplaysmusic/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hadiplaysmusic1

More about Learning Hub.Ma’ana Lab Musiqaa

More about Ma’ana https://www.maaanmusic.com

More about host Tobie Allen Facebook Link

In this episode I sat down with one of MENA's most successful EDM producers who happens to have had 6 years as Label and Content Manager at Anghami, and now in the same role at Deezer Middle East.

The 32 year-old DJ/Producer got an early start, spinning his first on-air gig with Marco V- Steve Angelo and more at the age of 17. He’s had many years to perfect his hand, so it’s no wonder he’s one of the best known DJs to launch out of Lebanon, spinning throughout the MENA,Canada & Japan.

In January 2019 he released “Rumors by R3HAB” and reached 1M streams in the first week. He went on to release a remix for K391 & Wyclef Jean which got lots of Summer play-listing on all streaming services. His latest hit is a remix of All Around the World which reached number 6 on the Global Beatport Charts.

In this episode we talk about; the importance of streaming, how to create a brand as it's not all about the music, how to pitch a content manager at a digital sales platform, opportunities within the MENA music industry and the importance of collaborating.

Social Media

Instagram @markshakedown

facebook @markshakedown

More about Ma’ana Learning Lab Musiqaa

More about Ma’ana Website Click Here

Please contact [email protected] if you need any help with your music career

Show Notes

In this episode I sat down with one of MENA's best known singer songwriters, Danny Aridi. Danny Aridi is a Canadian/Lebanese multi-award winning singer, songwriter based in Dubai and signed to Universal Music. He has been performing internationally for more than 10 years. He recently won the “Best Local Band Award” with What's On magazine. He also competed in The Emerging Talent and The Virgin Megastore talent competition where he competed with a combined total of more than 500 artists to earn the title of Best Artist. His singing, songwriting, personality, and professionalism has helped him become the artist he is today. He has already opened concerts and performed for internationally known artists shown below.

In this episode we talk about where Danny gets inspiration from, his songwriting process, the power of social media and the importance of music videos to his brand.

Social Media

Instagram @dannyaridi

More about Ma’ana Learning Lab Musiqaa

More about Ma’ana Website Click Here

Please contact [email protected] if you need any help with your music career

Elia was born in Lebanon. Managed to work with big names in the music industry and was able to develop a lot of ME talents. Establishing his UK-based music company in 2014, he booked tours and festivals for bands from the Middle East. Took his career to an international level by working with big artists such as Snoop Dogg, Serj Tankian, Engelbert Humperdinck, Tiny Tempah, and DJ Danny Avilla. Currently running Big Beards Entertainment for Artists Management. Awarded Artist Manager of the Year for 2019"

In this episode we discuss

What an artist manager role and when to have one

Social Media:

Instagram: @EliaMssawir

More about Ma’ana Learning Lab Musiqaa

More about Ma’ana Website CLICK HERE

More about host Tobie Allen Facebook Link

Please contact [email protected] in need any help with your music career

In the hot seat this week we have one half of UK born UAE bred Hollaphonic, aka Olly Wood.

In this episode we talk about how to diversify your revenue streams. This is especially prevalent during these challenging  times where musicians and create performers have been hit hard with the closure of their major sources of revenue. Olly discusses ways on how to have maximise your talent.

Hollaphonic was born out of a small studio in the Arabian desert of Dubai, the brainchild of Olly Wood & Greg Stainer, two British electronic artists with a diverse electronic music history; The first electronic act to sign to a major label in the Middle East, Hollaphonic released their debut album ‘Personal Space’ through Universal in 2015 to great critical acclaim, landing 4 No.1 singles and a No.1 album across eight countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia; their track Dangerous reached No.3 on the global Shazam trending charts.

After a succession of No.1 tracks and high level support from BBC Radio One, TenCent Entertainment Group and Spotify they were approached by Sony Music with a plan to release as a global priority, scoring the international single in Thailand in 2018 with a total of 13 months in the Thai international Top 10 in 2018 with Asian streaming giant JOOX. This led to a performance on Thai TV to over 50m as well as their lyrics being used to teach English in many schools. In early 2019 they enjoyed their first Asian No.1 grabbing top spot in Thailand’s main chart through a collaboration with Thai superstar Peck Palitchoke. 2019 saw them release their first K-Pop track with former U-Kiss Star Kevin Woo which was performed livestream to millions from a packed KCon in Madison Square Gardens.

Their musical diversity is akin to a mix between Disclosure, Camelphat, Guetta and the Pop sensibilities of artists such as Sigala, Jax Jones and Martin Solveig. They were the first act to play at Tomorrowland 2019 opening the event with a daybreak set on One World Radio broadcast on speakers across the festival and worldwide. Endorsements range from Red Bull Culture Key Opinion Leaders to Adidas and Rolls Royce.

In 2019 they also worked on artistic project with Franco Dragone working on La Perle, Dubai and One Last Drop with Cirque Du Soleil. Their music can be heard inflight with Emirates Airlines as the provided an original track for their Inflight introduction, the video feature their album and logo and has been viewed by over 250m passengers in it’s lifetime to date. Their track Spaceship was also chosen by NASA for their ‘playlist to the moon’ a global campaign voted for by fans.

www.facebook.com/hollaphonic

www.twitter.com/hollaphonic

www.instagram.com/hollaphonic

Live Bookings & Enquiries [email protected]

More about Ma’ana Learning Lab Musiqaa

More about Ma’ana Website CLICK HERE

More about host Tobie Allen Facebook Link

Please contact [email protected] in need any help with your music career

In the hot seat this week we have one half of UK born UAE bred Hollaphonic, aka Olly Wood.

In this episode we talk about how to diversify your revenue streams. This is especially prevalent during these presidents times where musicians and create performers have been hit hard with the closure of the nightlife. Olly discusses ways on how to have maximise your talent.

Hollaphonic was born out of a small studio in the Arabian desert of Dubai, the brainchild of Olly Wood & Greg Stainer, two British electronic artists with a diverse electronic music history; The first electronic act to sign to a major label in the Middle East, Hollaphonic released their debut album ‘Personal Space’ through Universal in 2015 to great critical acclaim, landing 4 No.1 singles and a No.1 album across eight countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia; their track Dangerous reached No.3 on the global Shazam trending charts.

After a succession of No.1 tracks and high level support from BBC Radio One, TenCent Entertainment Group and Spotify they were approached by Sony Music with a plan to release as a global priority, scoring the international single in Thailand in 2018 with a total of 13 months in the Thai international Top 10 in 2018 with Asian streaming giant JOOX. This led to a performance on Thai TV to over 50m as well as their lyrics being used to teach English in many schools. In early 2019 they enjoyed their first Asian No.1 grabbing top spot in Thailand’s main chart through a collaboration with Thai superstar Peck Palitchoke. 2019 saw them release their first K-Pop track with former U-Kiss Star Kevin Woo which was performed livestream to millions from a packed KCon in Madison Square Gardens.

Their musical diversity is akin to a mix between Disclosure, Camelphat, Guetta and the Pop sensibilities of artists such as Sigala, Jax Jones and Martin Solveig. They were the first act to play at Tomorrowland 2019 opening the event with a daybreak set on One World Radio broadcast on speakers across the festival and worldwide. Endorsements range from Red Bull Culture Key Opinion Leaders to Adidas and Rolls Royce.

In 2019 they also worked on artistic project with Franco Dragone working on La Perle, Dubai and One Last Drop with Cirque Du Soleil. Their music can be heard inflight with Emirates Airlines as the provided an original track for their Inflight introduction, the video feature their album and logo and has been viewed by over 250m passengers in it’s lifetime to date. Their track Spaceship was also chosen by NASA for their ‘playlist to the moon’ a global campaign voted for by fans.

www.facebook.com/hollaphonic

www.twitter.com/hollaphonic

www.instagram.com/hollaphonic

Live Bookings & Enquiries [email protected]

More about Ma’ana Learning Lab Musiqaa

More about Ma’ana Website CLICK HERE

More about host Tobie Allen Facebook Link

Please contact [email protected] in need any help with your music career

This week, I sat down with David Craig. David is the face of Mais Music, a Dubai based music consultancy that looks after hundreds of artist bookings within the MENA region. In our chat, David and I reminisce about his years in bonny scotland, how the MENA music landscape has changed over the years and David gives some fantastic advice on how to get more gigs.

Former DJ in Scotland, club and radio (mostly on the production side)  Was part of the Tommy Boy and Sony Street teams back in the day.  HNC in radio production and broadcasting. Briefly covered Scotland for BBC Radio 1Xtra  A regional reporter for Blues & Soul Magazine for 7 years.

Ran Urbanscot -Artist promotion and development uniting the scene in one website. Booking headline acts and having the talent open for them as well as starting the Urbanscot Lounge / Karma Lounge with the aim of fostering local talent performing their own music. One of the biggest success stories to come out of the initiative was Emeli Sande.

I came to Dubai as a DJ and then started  Mais Musica in 2013 (initially with Marko Smokingroove) It's grown to be one of the busiest agencies in the city with well over 200 gigs a month.

In 2018 Started DBC Hospitality and opened Viewz Bar in Abu Dhabi. The venue picked up a Time Out award in 2019 for dedication to entertainment.

Currently starting to get back into doing again after a 3-year partial sabbatical to focus on the businesses.

www.facebook.com/djdavidcraig

www.instagram.com/djdavidcraig

www.mixcloud.com/djdavidcraig

www.facebook.com/maismusicadxb

www.instagram.com/maismusicadxb

www.facebook.com/viewzbar

www.instagram.com/viewzbar_auh

More about Ma’ana Learning Lab Musiqaa

More about Ma’ana Website CLICK HERE

More about host Tobie Allen Facebook Link

Please contact [email protected] in need any help with your music career