Anghami Inc buys Spotlight company for music concerts and live streams
Image Credit: Spotlight
Anghami music company now owns Spotlight Events, partnering up for both virtual and in person events.
Anghami has bought live events company Spotlight. Spotlight specialises in putting on live events in the Middle East and Northern Africa, and Anghami, a RouteNote parter, is the biggest streaming platform in MENA.
The merger will produce events both in person and online. Spotlight Events will provide live shows on behalf of Anghami, which will be live streamed using Anghami technology.
Artists will be invited to play private concerts, with fans getting access to VIP lounges, backstage access, and meet and greets. AR and VR technology will create an immersive experience for fans to get closer to their favourite artists.
Founder and CEO of Spotlight Maher Khawkhaji said: “Anghami is the largest music platform in the MENA region with an incredible number of users and a unique network of partnerships that, once connected to Spotlight, will open doors to amazing opportunities. Our offline expertise, complemented by Anghami’s reach, data and technical capabilities, is the perfect recipe for success.
“We look forward to being part of this dynamic team and unleashing the incredible potential to bring the best to music fans, artists and brands and take entertainment to the next level.”
Spotlight has upcoming concerts in Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Dubai, Paris, and Riyadh. It will take over the running of Anghami’s live events such as Amr Diab Live. Six shows in Abu Dhabi will be scheduled this year and Wael Kfoury is due to perform in Paris.
Last year Anghami announced Anghami Lab, concert venues in locations including Dubai and Riyadh.
Eddy Maroun, co-founder and CEO of Anghami commented: “Our vision is to expand from music streaming to a fully integrated entertainment platform that meets our goal of building our own unique category that no other provider can compete with.
“This partnership will allow us to deliver unique experiences to our users while giving artists a stage to perform and reach their fans physically and virtually. Spotlight and Anghami Lab are among a number of initiatives that we plan to develop as new business extensions to accelerate our growth and improve our margins while widening the gap with our competitors.”
After becoming the norm during the early days of the pandemic when in-person events were a no-go, live streamed music events seem to be here to stay. Artists can get creative with technology and produce great content for social media, and live streams also offer a way for fans from different regions to experience their favourite artist’s live shows.