ESMAA, an Abu Dhabi-based rights management entity owned by music publisher PopArabia, has announced a licensing deal with Anghami, the streaming service focused on the Middle East and North Africa region.
The deal covers the song rights of ESMAA’s parent company PopArabia, alongside a number of other independent publishers, and also brings to an end a previous legal dispute. PopArabia sued Anghami in 2022 after years of licensing negotiations failed to result in any deal.
That dispute has now been settled as part of this deal which, says ESMAA, “clears the path for a new joint performance and mechanical licensing agreement based on global practices for representation, reporting and claims”. Streaming services like Anghami need to have licences in place for both the performing rights and mechanical rights in songs.
Under a joint venture between PopArabia and US music rights company Reservoir, Reservoir’s catalogue is also covered by this new deal, as are the catalogues of other independent publishers that are part of the IMPEL network. IMPEL helps indie publishers to directly license their Anglo-American repertoires to streaming services rather than relying on the collective licensing system.
Bigging up its new deal, ESMAA says that it is “the first of its kind between international independent music publishers and a domestic streaming service, reaffirming ESMAA and Anghami’s commitment to supporting the music ecosystem in the MENA region, ensuring fair compensation for songwriters, composers and publishers while delivering exceptional value to consumers”.