Universal Arabic Music

Operational Structure

Universal Arabic Music functions as a joint venture imprint between Universal Music Group and Republic Records, led by music executive Wassim “Sal” Slaiby through his SALXCO management company. The label employs a distributed operational model coordinating with UMG’s existing regional offices across the Middle East and North Africa while maintaining strategic headquarters for international artist development. Leadership includes Massari (Sari Abboud) as Head of A&R, overseeing artist signing strategy, producer matching, and collaborative partnership facilitation.

The label operates through integrated teams combining Arabic-language cultural expertise with UMG’s infrastructure across United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, France, Germany, Australia, and Mexico markets. This structure enables simultaneous local market knowledge and global promotional coordination. Regional partnerships include integration with Chabaka Music, a UAE-based digital distributor acquired by UMG serving 150+ independent artists, and collaboration with Harb Management in Egypt for talent identification and development.

Business operations focus on traditional record label functions including artist signing, master recording ownership, A&R development, global distribution, publishing administration, and sync licensing coordination. The model emphasizes cultural authenticity in artist development while targeting international diaspora audiences across North America, Europe, and Latin America through UMG’s established promotional networks.

Artist Development Track Record

The label’s development approach combines high-budget production resources with strategic international collaborations. Issam Alnajjar received coordination for sessions with Grammy-winning producers including Loud Luxury, Ali Gatie, and international songwriters, resulting in his debut album Baree? accumulating 2.5 billion Spotify streams. His single “Hadal Ahbek” achieved status as the first Arabic-language song to simultaneously top Spotify’s Viral Global Chart and Shazam Global Top 200, generating 3 billion TikTok views and 104 million Spotify streams.

Elyanna’s development trajectory demonstrates multi-year artist investment. Beginning collaboration at age 15, she progressed through two EPs before releasing debut studio album Woledto, while receiving support for the historic Coachella performance as the first artist to perform an entire set in Arabic. The label facilitated international collaborative projects including “Ghareeb Alay” featuring Tunisian artist Balti (35+ million YouTube views) and “Ana Lahale” with Massari, both charting on Official Lebanese Top 20.

$kinny’s album Have A Nice Trip received executive production from Swizz Beatz with features from French Montana, representing substantial production budget allocation. Hiba Tawaji’s signing enabled collaboration with Luis Fonsi on “Que Será Será,” reaching 3 million YouTube views within three days of release. Saint Levant received support for Coachella 2024 performance and debut album Deira production. Development infrastructure includes professional music video production, strategic playlist placement on Spotify RADAR Arabia and Fresh Finds Arabia, international touring coordination, and publishing administration through UMG Publishing Group.

Commercial Performance

The label’s releases demonstrate historic market penetration for Arabic-language music. Nancy Ajram’s collaboration with Marshmello, “Sah Sah,” became the first Arabic song to chart on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs chart, reaching #38 and achieving #9 on US iTunes Electronic. The track generated 26 million YouTube views and reached 20+ million TikTok hashtag engagements. Myriam Fares’ feature on “Tukoh Taka” with Nicki Minaj and Maluma served as the 2022 FIFA World Cup official anthem, charting at #106 on Billboard Global 200, #2 on World Digital Sales, #18 on Hot Latin Songs, and #13 on US Digital Song Sales while accumulating 177 million YouTube views.

Issam Alnajjar’s “Hadal Ahbek” established multiple streaming records as the first Arabic song to achieve simultaneous #1 positions on Spotify Viral Global and Shazam Global charts. His catalog maintains 964,677 monthly Spotify listeners with 201+ million total platform plays. Elyanna’s singles including “Ghareeb Alay” and “Mama Eh” charted regionally while her album Woledto received critical recognition for cultural authenticity and artistic production quality.

Mohamed Ramadan’s “Arabi” featuring Future and Massari expanded the label’s collaborative reach into trap and hip-hop markets. The roster’s cumulative streaming performance exceeds 2 billion plays across major platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and regional leader Anghami. Chart penetrations span Billboard Dance, Billboard Global 200, Billboard Hot Latin Songs, Lebanese Top 20, and regional Middle Eastern charts, representing unprecedented international visibility for Arabic-language releases.

Artist Experience

Multiple artists describe positive development experiences emphasizing cultural representation and professional support. Issam Alnajjar characterized his signing experience as transformative, stating the partnership with Slaiby and UAM “opened a new label” dedicated to Arabic music. When discussing collaborations with international artists including Danna Paola and Alok, he described it as “the best experience in my career so far,” attributing breakthrough moments to label coordination and management guidance.

Elyanna emphasized long-term relationship building in her development:

“I’ve learned so much from my team and mentors like Nasri, Massari, and my manager Sal. We met when I was about 15 years old, so it’s really special that I’ve grown with them, and that we all share the same goal of making Arabic music internationally recognised.”

She consistently credited the label infrastructure with enabling her Coachella performance and continued global presence while maintaining creative control, noting her mother writes lyrics collaboratively and family influences shape artistic direction.

$kinny described his UAM partnership as fulfilling professional aspirations, characterizing it as “a pleasure to just be a part of the whole movement” that serves as “the bridge to gap the two worlds” between Arabic and Western markets. He highlighted access to A-list producer collaborations and major label resources as evidence of genuine investment. Massari, serving dual roles as Head of A&R and performing artist, publicly emphasized UAM’s achievement in breaking Arabic music into international charts, stating milestone accomplishments including “the first time ever an Arabic song hit the Top 100 Billboard in America” represent realized ambitions for regional representation.

Testimonials reflect consistent themes of career acceleration through high-profile collaborations, cultural pride in authentic representation, and professional infrastructure support including production budgets, international touring coordination, and strategic marketing. Artists maintain creative autonomy while accessing resources typically unavailable to independent or regional-only label arrangements.

Distribution Infrastructure

Distribution operates through Universal Music Group’s established global network spanning 60+ countries, providing comprehensive digital service provider coverage. Primary platforms include Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, and regional leader Anghami, which maintains dominant market position across Middle Eastern and North African territories. The label’s integration with Republic Records enables coordinated promotional strategies across major markets including United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Latin America, and Australia.

Regional distribution receives specialized support through Chabaka Music, the UAE-based digital distributor acquired by UMG. This partnership provides deep MENA market expertise, localized promotional strategies, and existing relationships with 150+ independent artists across the region. The structure enables simultaneous global platform distribution and targeted regional engagement through culturally informed marketing approaches.

Physical distribution channels remain available through UMG’s retail partnerships where applicable, though the label’s primary focus reflects the MENA region’s streaming-dominated consumption pattern, where digital accounted for 95.5% of music revenue. Publishing administration operates through UMG Publishing Group, handling songwriter registration, copyright administration across territories, mechanical royalty collection, and sync licensing coordination for film, television, and advertising placements. This integrated infrastructure provides comprehensive rights management without requiring artists to coordinate separate publishing deals or distribution agreements.