Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth met with members of the board of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Abu Dhabi. The London headquartered non-for-profit organisation represents the recording music industry and has offices worldwide. The organisation has established its first office in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi, led by Rawan Al Dabbas, Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa. The regional office is tasked with promoting the value of recorded music, expand its commercial value and campaign for the rights of record producers in the MENA region.

The meeting was attended by Frances Moore, CEO of IFPI, Rawan Al Dabbas, and other members of the IFPI team along with representatives from the UAE Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Economy and senior executives from the global and MENA teams of Warner Music Group, Sony Music, Universal Music Group, BPI, Music Canada, Embassy of Music GmbH and SNEP.

The MENA region was the fastest growing region worldwide in 2021 and the IFPI companies are keen to see that continue, partnering with local companies and developing local talent in the process.

Speaking to the IFPI board members in Abu Dhabi, H.E. Noura Al Kaabi said: “The UAE is focused on nurturing a thriving creative ecosystem and Music is a key element of that. We are looking at the creative sectors to make significant contribution to the national GDP. In order to do so, we need a robust legal framework to not just create a well-defined creative sector but also safeguard the interests of the creatives and support various stakeholders operating in the creative space.

“Licensing and intellectual property rights protection are essential to achieving our vision to enable the music industry and IFPI can play an instrumental role in that. With its extensive global experience IFPI will contribute to enhancing the IP framework in the UAE, specifically targeting the music industry and creatives.”

Her Excellency stressed the role of market research to gain knowledge into the local market to gauge pain points and growth areas to help steer the UAE music industry in the right direction.

Stating that the IFPI’s Global Music Report is a useful resource for the industry worldwide, Her Excellency commented: “Organisations like yours play a major role in supporting the UAE Government’s efforts in promoting creative industries and the UAE stands to gain with your organisation’s global experience in the field.”

“With its expertise in gathering data to study the music markets and prepare reports on the health of the music industry worldwide, IFPI will play a vital role in assessing the local market in the UAE. A robust infrastructure, top-notch facilities and well-defined legal safeguards will help develop local talent and enrich the UAE’s creative landscape,” added Her Excellency.

The IFPI board applauded the steps taken by the U.A.E. in implementing clear and concrete laws related to trademarks, copyrights and intellectual property, and is keen to continue to develop a well-rounded music ecosystem globally, representing the rights of musicians and producers by regulating, standardising and monetising the recording music industry.

The IFPI board stated that the recent amendments to the existing copyright laws in the UAE have expedited processes and made them more cost-effective with stronger government enforcement and utilisation, which is essential to monetising and protecting digital assets, which is a global challenge not unique to this part of the world. The IF

IFPI is building a well-rounded music ecosystem globally and representing the rights of musicians and producers by regulating, standardising and monetising the recorded music industry.  Monetising and protecting digital assets is a challenge worldwide and not limited to this part of the world. The meeting also discussed the role of IFPI in enforcing safeguards for artists and platforms in the digital arena.