Hitting the Right Note

Streaming companies should stay close to local music and artists to grow in the region says Deezer’s CEO for MENA and Turkey, Tarek Mounir.

The Middle East and North Africa are a musical goldmine. The region has some of the most exciting music acts in the world and a host of young fans that are prepared to take their stars to the next level. If you’re a streamer, this is fertile ground. Looking at Saudi Arabia, 37% of residents are younger than 34. At the same time, the country’s mobile penetration is 98%. To put it simply, if you wanted to grow a business that connects to music fans, this is the place to be. Music streaming is still a relatively young industry. In the US, penetration is still only at 20%. It’s 15% in the UK. And in the MENA region - a grounded 2%. The opportunity is clearly there, but how do you win? The answer is simple and tricky at the same time – you need to understand and adapt to the unique dynamics in the region.

Adapting to the culture

Companies call our region ‘MENA’, but it’s made up of 20 different countries. Each one has its own dialect; the culture has its own flavour and music fans have distinct local tastes. What works in one place may not necessarily work in another. You have to adapt to succeed. So if you’re a streaming company, you have to be local.

It’s not enough to keep an eye on the hottest local trends either, even though that’s a great start. You also need to employ people who understand both the history of the place you’re in and its pop culture. If you’re a content company, one of the best ways to achieve all of the above is to work closely with local record labels and artists. Combine that with a great product, and you have a recipe for standing out against the competition and getting people to sign up.


Getting people to tune in

It’s critical to have the right content and stay true to local taste. But you’ll be wasting your time if you can’t get users to come and try the service. Listeners have so much choice today that you really need to think about how to have a range of offers that fit their needs.

One of the ways to get people started is to let them enjoy their music and your product for free. First, you help them get into the habit of using your product every day. When they do, you can start showing off all the good things they’re missing out on by not subscribing. This will include benefits like going ad-free, an offline mode and unlimited skipping. 

A real benefit of a good free offer is that you offer people a real solution to piracy. It’s probably fair to say that piracy will never completely go away. At the same time, pirates are finding themselves in increasingly shallow straits. On one hand, it’s becoming harder to find and access illegal content. On the other hand, entertainment companies like Deezer are making it easier than ever for listeners to support the artists they love without breaking the law. This work has led to a positive trend. Listeners are becoming more willing to pay and digital companies are becoming better at anticipating their needs.