The Dubai Press Club (DPC) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with leading global audio streaming platform Spotify to give region’s audio content creators a platform to connect with global audiences.
The agreement was signed by Mona Al Marri, President of DPC, and Claudius Boller, Spotify’s Managing Director for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, on the sidelines of the first edition of Dubai PodFest, which was held at DPC.
The collaboration will seek to promote podcasters in different streams both regionally and globally and nurture the development of talent and content creators in the region’s podcast industry. It also aims to provide podcasters with knowledge on best global practices in the industry.
The singing of the MoU with Spotify has come in light of the significant growth of the MENA podcast market and an increase in the consumption of audio content across the region.
Mona Al Marri said: “We are very happy to combine our strengths with Spotify to give local stories and voices a platform to connect with a global audience on the leading audio streaming platform. This strategic collaboration seeks to further enhance creativity in the Arab world and highlight the potential of various podcasters, while also accelerating the development of the podcasting sector.
Buhumaid highlighted the significance of the podcasting sector, which has allowed people to interact at a larger scale and share their perspectives on numerous topics.
She added that Dubai Press Club and Spotify will reveal further details of their collaboration at a later stage.
Claudius Boller said: “We are excited to join forces with Dubai Press Club on their audio journey to empower the region’s creators to reach new audiences on a global scale. Spotify is home to over 3.2 million podcasts and we are dedicated to building the world’s largest audio network and enabling everyone to create audio.”
Boller highlighted that Spotify transformed music listening when it first launched in 2008. Today, Spotify is the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with 381 million users, including 172 million subscribers, across 178 markets. The platform has allowed listeners to discover, manage and share over 70 million tracks, including more than 3.2 million podcast titles.
The first event of its kind dedicated to podcasting in the region, Dubai PodFest brought together more than 200 prominent podcasters and audio content creators, in addition to leading organisations in the sector, to explore growth opportunities and the future of podcasting in the region.
The inaugural edition of the event examined the various challenges facing audio content creators in terms of marketing their podcasts and attracting listeners. The event also highlighted the experiences of various podcasters from across the Arab world and discussed their roles in promoting positive content and inspirational stories.
Source: Emirates News Agency