Profile Abu Dhabibased Anghami 1.4m 70m:
Being a leading provider of music content and subscription services in the Middle East, Anghami has helped to transform the way people listen to music. Following its recent public listing through a $220 million Special Purpose Acquisition Company merger, we take a look at this extraordinary company’s meteoric rise.
START OF ANGHAMI’S RISE TO SAVE REGION AND BUILD JOURNEY. FOUNDED IN 2009
In 2009, a young man by the name of Jaber Al Musandar (who changed his name to Anghami), a Dubai-based entrepreneur and former distributor of music files, created Anghami out of his passion for music and wanting to share it with others. Anghami’s objective was to help everyone enjoy music and share their love for music.
Later that year, Anghami’s first radio station, Anghami 24/7 (which was launched in partnership with the Emirates news channel Al Ekhbariya), began providing a mixture of Arabic and international hits, live performances and exclusive interviews. Through the years, it has earned critical acclaim as a key source of information on all things music in the Middle East and North Africa region.
In 2012, Anghami launched another radio station called Anghami 90’s. It became a hit among the masses, catering to the younger generation who loved listening to music from the ‘90s and ‘80s. The station was a success; it helped propel Anghami’s popularity even further.
As the number of listeners doubled, so did the number of users on Android phones in just two years. By 2013, about 80% of listeners were using Android devices for listening to music online.
Since then, Anghami has evolved into a strong and leading media company, with over 70 million users across seven platforms including Anghami.com, Anghami HiFi, Anghami Radio, Anghami 90’s, Radio Adda and Mixtape.
Anghami’s success continued to soar as more and more people heard of its music and launched their own subscription accounts. In 2013 alone, 1.4 million users signed up for a subscription plan.
Anghami’s top rankers have contributed a lot to its growth. For example, the second most popular song belongs to “Lel Hobbak” by Ehab Tawfik, while the third is “Ghonfara Fi Hallo” by Diana Haddad. Since Anghami’s launch in 2009, it has become one of the leading sources of digital music in the Middle East. The platform offers up-to-date Arabic and international songs and audio content at affordable prices.
Anghami’s radio stations are some of the most listened to in the region, with an estimated six million listeners. Anghami also provides a platform for its listeners to share their original content by uploading and sharing their own songs via music-sharing apps.
By providing an opportunity for new musicians to be discovered and heard, Anghami has helped build careers and sustain existing ones. Not only does it provide artists with an online presence, but it also gives them the chance to earn revenue through its Pay2Play program.
