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RIYADH: Spotify has released its first Saudi “Loud & Clear report, highlighting the rise of the Kingdom’s music industry, where local artists are leveraging global discovery into sustainable careers.

According to the report, Saudi artists generated more than SR13 million ($3.5 million) in royalties on Spotify in 2024 — a 76 percent increase from the previous year and more than double the total in 2022. At the same time, Saudi artists were discovered by first-time listeners more than 220 million times. According to Spotify, more than 90 percent of royalties came from audiences outside the Kingdom.

“����ֱ�� is one of the most exciting music markets in the Middle East today. If you look back just a decade, much of the scene was underground. Fast-forward to now, and the story is very different: Artists are reaching audiences at scale, royalties are growing fast, and the ecosystem is buzzing with possibility,” said Akshat Harbola, managing director for Spotify MENAP.

He added that the momentum was “undeniable,” noting that ����ֱ��’s Music Commission projects the industry could become a half-billion-dollar market within the next decade. “To realize that vision, every stakeholder needs to come together, and the time to start that conversation is now,” he said.

The Loud & Clear event in Riyadh on Thursday was designed as a conversation-starter, bringing together artists, industry leaders and fans to examine how streaming revenues are shaping careers. Harbola described the milestone as proof that music is becoming a viable profession in the Kingdom. “We celebrated some powerful wins, more than SR13 million in royalties generated, with many Saudi artists now generating over SR100,000 last year. This is proof that music can become a sustainable career,” he said.

Spotify’s report also showed that Saudi music consumption on the platform has grown by nearly 200 percent since 2020, fueled by local pride and younger audiences. Harbola emphasized that the goal is not only growth but transparency: “By breaking down how royalties flow, how rights are protected, and how artists can truly earn from their work, we can build a more transparent and sustainable system from day one.”

What stood out most, he said, was the diversity of the Saudi music scene. “Of course, Tarab remains a powerful genre, but alongside it you now have electronic producers filling global arenas, and singer-songwriters blending Arabic and English in ways that feel fresh and original,” Harbola said, citing acoustic performances that showcased the mix of languages and styles now defining the Kingdom’s sound.

Spotify has already launched initiatives such as RADAR Arabia, EQUAL Arabia, and Fresh Finds Saudi to support emerging talent. Harbola underlined that discovery remains at the heart of the platform. “In 2024 alone, Spotify helped drive more than 220 million discoveries of Saudi artists worldwide,” he said.

Looking ahead, Spotify announced a new Saudi campaign, The GM of Vibes, celebrating the creativity and energy of the Kingdom’s listeners. “We’re incredibly focused on our mission to support artists and to educate music fans about streaming music legally. The more they stream, the more their favorite artists can sustain a living from their art,” Harbola said.

As ����ֱ��’s music ecosystem accelerates under Vision 2030, Spotify’s data-driven push for transparency signals a new era where artists are not only being heard but increasingly rewarded.

DUBAI: When Saudi multi-hyphenate Sarah Taibah speaks about her craft, there’s an electric conviction to her words. Taibah is an artist, writer, filmmaker and actor, and she describes her creative life as a continuous pursuit of inspiration.  

“I think I’ve always been a creative person,” she tells Arab News. “In the beginning, I thought that being interested in many different things was me not being able to focus. But then I realized that I am an artist. So one of the major things, for me, is to do what I feel strongly about and whatever inspires me.” 

That restless curiosity is what first nudged Taibah toward acting.  

“I was doing my Master of Fine Arts degree in San Francisco, and one of my good friends asked me to act in her short film,” she says. “I just did it because I’m a creative person, not because I wanted to be an actress. And this short film really did well and went to so many festivals, and I fell in love with acting. It reminded me of all the memories that I kind of blocked from being a kid. I was always on stage in school. I’d always been in school plays and all that.”  

Now, Taibah is set to challenge herself as never before with “Hoba” (‘The Vile’), an upcoming Emirati horror film directed by Majid Al-Ansari, known for the critically-acclaimed 2015 film “Zinzana.” 

“I got so excited about ‘Hoba’ for two reasons,” Taibah says. “First, I like the director — I remember seeing his first film, and I thought that he does things differently. Second, I really appreciated him not typecasting me. I’m always cast by directors in certain roles that are really similar to my character — as Sarah — but with Majid, he saw something else. The character couldn’t be more different than me. I’ve never been this challenged — not only because she’s the villain of the movie, but also because it allowed me to experience different techniques, to tap into something a bit supernatural; something I have zero clue how to relate to.” 

“Hoba” tells the story of a devoted wife and mother — Amani (played by Bdoor Mohammed) — whose life begins to unravel when her husband returns home with a second wife, Zahra (Taibah), and an unseen dark force infiltrates her home. Zahra is as fascinating as she is frightening.  

“Zahra is a very, very strong character with a strong presence,” Taibah says. “She has this toxic charm of a manipulative person, which is a very tricky part to play in horror films. It’s not like drama where you dig deep into the past of a character; you gotta work with what you have. She’s hard to really relate to or love, but I aspire for her to be that character that you really, really despise but also like for a reason that you hate yourself for. She’s fun — she’s a fun character to play.” 

Stepping into the horror genre presented its own set of challenges. “It was less character work than I do with other genres,” says the 36-year-old. “It was more about, ‘We are here, we are here now. We don’t know.’ Ninety-nine percent of the film happens indoors, in one location. It could be anywhere in the world. It’s not a film where you treat the city as a character. It’s just a very confined area — just you and your psychological issues. It was such an interesting journey. I treated the film differently during preparation and tapped into something really unknown for me, honestly.” 

The project also reflects a broader creative movement sweeping the Middle East. Genre filmmaking is on the rise, and Taibah herself has helped propel it forward as one of the writers of “Hwjn,” a fantasy about a romance between a djinn and a human.  

“I feel it’s about time to tap into different genres and to challenge the audience (to watch something different) from what they’re used to watching, like drama or comedy,” she says. “It’s time to play with horror, magical realism, and fantasy. I feel like it’s such a blank canvas, and audiences are really hungry to see more from the region. Entering a cinema is not just about relatability — what’s true and realistic; it’s a place where you escape real life into this magical world. It’s tricky to do it right, and that’s one of the things that made me say yes to ‘Hoba.’ I truly believe in the director’s vision and the references he likes. He loves Korean horror films, for example. And I know that this is a person who’s making this attempt with knowledge and with taste.” 

As for what audiences can expect when “Hoba” arrives at the end of October, Taibah says: “It’s a horror film, and we don’t have many of these (in Arab cinema). And also it has really good cinematography. I feel like it’s going to be more of a complete experience. Good cinematography, good director, good cast.” 

However, she adds: “I haven’t seen it yet. I hope it’s as good as I think.”