Spotify‘s next major global move is coming soon.
According to a leaked email, the service plans to launch across the Middle East and North Africa in November, with a new regional headquarters based in Dubai.
The streaming platform will go head-to-head with the likes of Anghami, Deezer and Apple Music in the markets.
According to local media, Spotify is currently seeking advertisers for its roll-out in the regions.
A recent email sent to staff at a Dubai-based ad agency reportedly reveals that Spotify is looking to find six brands to advertise at launch in the Middle East and North Africa.
It hopes to charge them up to USD $200,000 apiece – and is confident of filling these slots.
A Spotify spokesperson told MBW: “Spotify’s ultimate goal is to be available in every country, but we don’t currently have any news to share on a launch in the Middle East.”
Today’s report comes after it was revealed that Spotify’s hopes of expanding into India this summer are under threat from the major labels.
Sources from all three majors told MBW that they were considering a refusal to license Spotify in India following a fallout over the Swedish company’s decision to strike direct deals with artists in recent months.
In February, Spotify disclosed in public documents that it had leased a number of regional offices, including one in the United Arab Emirates.
In May, Daniel Ek‘s company was spotted advertising for a Senior Editor based in Dubai, in addition to a Senior Editor for Arab Music Culture based in its New York office.
One headache for Spotify in the Middle East will be Deezer’s new agreement with Rotana Group.The latter owns what is claimed to be the biggest record company in the Middle East, Rotana Records.
As part of a recent funding round, Deezer snagged exclusive distribution rights to Rotana’s catalog in the region.
At the close of Q2 this year, Spotify counted 83m subscribers worldwide.
Just over 33m of these were in Europe, with another 25.7m in North America.Music Business Worldwide
