Spotify hires musician to build out presence for Arab music and culture

Spotify has hired a musician to help build a hub centered on Arab music and culture for the platform. Suhel Nafar, a Palestinian musician, is now a senior editor for the streaming service and will work out of its New York office. In addition to work as a performer, Nafar was most recently a music programmer for the Palestine Music Expo.

The Middle East has been a region of growth for digital audio advertising. “The adoption of digital audio advertising in the region is still in its early stages, but the growth opportunities are huge for the sector,” Elie Habib, co-founder and CTO of local music streaming company Anghami, said at a special Digital Audio Day last fall co-hosted alongside Triton Digital and the digital arm of Choueiri Group.