Reservoir Media And PopArabia Acquire Cairo-Based RE Media … – CelebrityAccess ENCORE

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NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Reservoir Media, Inc. announced a partnership with prominent independent music publisher PopArabia for a series of acquisitions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region

The two companies announced the acquisition of RE Media, a Cairo-based content production and distribution company founded by Richard Elhaj in 2004. RE Media possesses an extensive catalog of over 6,000 recordings and compositions spanning three decades of Egyptian music history. This collection includes works from renowned artists like Amr Diab, George Wassouf, Dalida, Mohamed Mounir, and others. Among the notable additions is Amr Diab’s debut album “Ya Tareeq,” which holds a special place in Egyptian music culture.

The deal also includes RE Media’s sub-labels Moseeqa and Moseeqa TV, along with ownership of multiple YouTube channels that collectively boast a million subscribers. PopArabia plans to integrate these YouTube channels into its own hub, the two companies said.

The second acquisition will see the two companies acquire the master and publishing rights for the catalog of Egyptian rap duo El Sawareekh.

Comprising Ahmed Abdelhamed (Dokdok) and Bassem Mohamed (Fanky), El Sawareekh are trailblazers in the Mahraganat genre, a fusion of Arabic rap, electronic music, and traditional Egyptian rhythms that emerged in 2011. Their influence is substantial among youth in the MENA region, with hits like “Laa,” released in 2017, amassing over 100 million YouTube views. Reservoir and PopArabia’s earlier acquisition of Egyptian label 100COPIES provided initial rights to “Laa,” and subsequent works from El Sawareekh have been integrated into the companies’ expanding catalog.

Their collection features popular tracks such as “Eda Eda,” “Albk Bahr Maleh,” and “Ekhwaty,” which have garnered impressive YouTube views.

The acquisitions reflect Reservoir’s focus on the music scene in the MENA region with support from Abu Dhabi’s twofour54, a media zone fostering the entertainment industry.

“Egyptian artists are a driving force in Arabic popular music, and it is gratifying to see Reservoir and PopArabia continue to solidify our presence in MENA through the acquisition of these important catalogs,” stated Hussain “Spek” Yoosuf, PopArabia Founder and Chief Executive Officer/Reservoir Executive Vice President of International and Emerging Markets. “El Sawareekh have created some of the country’s most memorable hits of this era, and RE Media represents an important spread of Egyptian repertoire. Each of these deals is an important step in our ongoing efforts to expand our leadership in the Arabic music space.”