The 2024 edition of XP Music Futures, the MENA-focused music conference organized by MDLBEAST, will return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December 5-7.
This year’s theme for XP Music Futures is ‘Flourish”, which, according to the event’s organizers, “focuses on scaling up on the reach and impact of XP by more exposure and becoming much louder”.
The most recent edition of the XP Futures conference, in December 2023, welcomed over 190 speakers from around the world, and according to its organizers attracted “thousands” of attendees.
XP Music Futures is organized by MDLBEAST and aims to amplify the music and creative scene across Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East region.
MDLBEAST was established following the launch of its flagship festival, SOUNDSTORM in 2019 and now operates under three corporate arms: XP Music Futures, MDLBEAST PRESENTS and MDLBEAST Record Label.
MDLBEAST says this year’s three-day conference will feature “dozens of sessions, including fireside chats, keynotes, panel discussions, fishbowls, and workshops designed around growing the music scene and industry within the MENA region.”
Daytime events will focus on four key pillars: Talent, Scene, Impact, and Innovation. The nighttime program features parties, showcases, and performances from both local and international talent.
Prior editions of the conference have hosted prominent global and regional artists and industry figures.
Previous attendees include producer and label owner Don Cannon, DJ Khaled, Cosmicat, Nicole Moudaber, Fat Joe, David Guetta and many more.
Initiatives at XP Music Futures in 2024 will include the emerging talent platform XPerform, which gives regional acts the chance to perform at XP Music Futures and to work with MDLBEAST Records.
Judges for this year are Shamma Hamdan, Defencii, Hassan Abouelrouss, and Rawan Alfassi.
Xchange, meanwhile, curates a series of workshops in cities ahead of the XP conference, inviting key industry experts to identify hot topics for the conference program.
XChange hosts a series of touring workshops that will take place this year in; Kuwait, Tunisia & Riyadh, ahead of the main XP conference.
Hunna, derived from the Arabic plural of “she”, is described as “a women-led initiative on a mission to amplify female talent” from the MENA region.
MDLBEAST described the Hunna initiative further as providing “essential support required for personal and professional development, seeking to challenge and transform outdated and inequitable systems prevalent in our societies”.
Storm shaker is a DJ competition for aspiring DJs from the MENA region and further afield. The competition will invite key individuals from the music industry, along with a selected rep from MDLBEAST records to judge and determine four finalists.
The Artist Management Bootcamp (AMB) is described as “a hybrid two-week bootcamp designed to equip aspiring artist managers with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate the music industry”.
And for the entrepreneurs, Sound Futures, according to MDLBEAST, “invites aspiring musicians and innovators to pitch their groundbreaking ideas to music industry investors, with the goal of securing funding and mentorship for their careers”.Music Business Worldwide