UAE-based collecting society Music Nation has inked a deal with SoundExchange in the US to collect and distribute neighbouring rights royalties in the UAE.
The partnership fleshes out Music Nation’s offering to include mechanical, performance and now neighbouring rights too.
It is Music Nation’s second partnership with a well-established US entity. In 2023 it signed a deal with BMI to build its licensing and royalty-distribution infrastructure.
“This partnership marks a significant milestone for recording artists and sound recording rights holders in the UAE and globally,” said Music Nation chairwoman Rasha Khalifa Al Mubarak.
The deal follows the news last week that recorded-music revenues in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region grew by 22.8% to $144.4m in 2024, according to the IFPI’s Global Music Report.
As the region’s music industry grows, so is the ecosystem for collecting and distributing royalties. PopArabia’s ESMAA rights-management subsidiary is another example, which launched in 2020 with a focus on the UAE and wider Gulf region.
