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Agreements signed with Universal and Imagem Music Group providing access to millions of songs

twofour54 ibtikar has announced it is supporting a music publishing and music rights consultancy called PopArabia, which has secured agreements to become the exclusive representative in the Arab World for Universal Music Publishing Group, the Universal Production Music Library, and Imagem Music Group, the world’s largest independent music publisher. This gives PopArabia exclusive management rights to millions of titles, driving the development of a sustainable commercial music industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

PopArabia is a music publishing company, created by entrepreneur Hussain Spek Yoosuf, representing the world’s leading music catalogues to ensure music rights are licensed appropriately in all forms of media, including; film, mobile, online, broadcast and advertising. The aim is to monetise international and regional rights, creating a profitable arena for new and existing talent, and ensuring that international music publishing businesses, such as Imagem and Universal, see the potential of the MENA market.

Wayne Borg, twofour54 Deputy CEO & Chief Operating Officer, explained; “Music already plays a key part in the growing media and entertainment industry across the region, but by ensuring that its use is properly and transparently monetised, PopArabia can help prospective Arabic musicians to understand that music can be a business not just a passion. PopArabia is a unique opportunity for twofour54, complementing our existing initiatives and driving the creation of a vibrant, sustainable and commercial regional media and entertainment industry across a wide range of disciplines.”

Experienced music publisher and the entrepreneur who developed PopArabia in late 2011, Hussain Spek Yoosuf, further explained; “All of my work in music rights in the UAE has been focused on developing a sustainable and thriving music industry regionally. I really couldn’t have found a better partner than twofour54, who are doing a fantastic job of cultivating a local creative eco-system. As the region’s creative, entertainment and media industry grows and develops, PopArabia is helping to pave the way for more international music stakeholders to benefit from and grow this exciting market.”

PopArabia’s combined catalogue includes major pop hits and songs of all genres and eras. It also includes the widest body of production music available in the region, providing film and TV producers with ‘one-stop-shop’ access to background music for their productions.

Andrew Jenkins, Executive Vice President, Asia Pacific Region and Industry Affairs, Universal Music Publishing Group commented: “I am delighted to be working with PopArabia and twofour54 as we at Universal Music Publishing Group continue to make the best music in the world available to the global marketplace. There can be an exciting future for the music business in the region and it is great to be working with people who want to create the conditions necessary for a thriving creative community to evolve.”

“We are delighted to welcome PopArabia to our international network of publishing partners,” said Imagem Music Group CEO André de Raaff. “The MENA region has enormous potential for our wide variety of musical genres. We are confident that with twofour54 and Spek’s new venture, PopArabia, we have the right partners to generate greater revenue for our writers, and give our catalogues even greater exposure.”

twofour54 ibtikar offers growth and nurturing opportunities to creative companies in the MENA region that have the potential to grow and participate in Arabic content creation, across media and entertainment sectors, with a focus on growing new businesses, through early stage and growth capital investment along with strategic support. Importantly, ibtikar ventures not only gives businesses access to financial support but also strategic guidance to help them fulfil their potential.

twofour54’s mission is to enable the development of world class Arabic media and entertainment content, positioning Abu Dhabi as a regional centre of excellence across all media platforms including film, broadcast, music, digital media, events, gaming and publishing.

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