NICOLE AOUN OF SPOTIFY: THE CURRENT AND FUTURE STATE OF THE APP IN THE REGION
Nicole Aoun, Marketing Manager MENA, Spotify spoke to Communicate about their positioning in the region, as well as the new campaign hitting the airwaves.
Spotify is gaining a lot of momentum in the region, can you tell us about your positioning and plan to make it the go-to app for researching new music?
Spotify has transformed how people listen to music, making every discovery as intuitive and personal as possible. With personalization at the heart of what we do, we see ourselves as your audio companion, helping you find new favorite songs or artists as easily as you enjoy your current favorites. In fact, every 24 hours on our platform, we witness 2 billion music discoveries happen.
With 675 million global users, we are the world's most popular audio streaming service. Our commitment to personalization is often cited as the top reason people stay with us. In our fast-growing regions like MENA, we remain committed to personalization at both a personal and cultural level. Every playlist and every campaign reflects an insight or a cultural moment that truly matters to the local market. Whether it’s for Saudi National Day or Ramadan, we strive to deliver a user experience that amplifies and celebrates local culture and identity.
Discovery is also central to our playlists and music programs. We are focused on nurturing up-and-coming talent and giving them the tools to be discovered by audiences from the region and beyond. With playlists like Fresh Finds Arabia and RADAR Arabia, we’ve seen local artists' streams skyrocket, sometimes by up to 1000%. It's very rewarding to see how our playlist ecosystem is playing a role in shaping artists' careers.
Looking forward, this year's focus is on investing in more music experiences on the platform. Think video, think new ways to bring fans and artists closer together, with features and offers that will continue to push the historic expansion we’re seeing in the music industry. We're excited about the new features we have lined up that will bring music and communities together, further driving discovery.
Can you walk us through the concept and execution of your new campaign in terms of concept and execution?
Absolutely! Our latest campaign is all about showcasing Spotify as your ultimate audio companion, accessible at any moment of the day. Whether you're driving, relaxing, or hosting friends, we want Spotify to be your go-to soundtrack for every occasion.
We brought this concept to life through a mix of dynamic media. Our two hero videos (here and here), supported by short-form content and a targeted media strategy, really push the narrative of Spotify’s seamless integration into daily life. The first video features a group of friends in a car, stuck on repeat with one song, until someone switches to Spotify. This switch leads to an instant discovery of fresh, vibrant tracks from our extensive Arabic catalog, perfectly highlighting how Spotify enhances shared experiences with music.
The second video tackles a common frustration head-on—music stopping when you switch apps. By demonstrating Spotify’s background listening feature, we emphasize our commitment to providing a seamless, uninterrupted listening experience.
Our campaign was rolled out across multiple digital platforms, including social media channels like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram, as well as video platforms such as YouTube, Programmatic, and Twitch. The strategy behind this extensive digital rollout was to engage our core audience—young, digital-native listeners aged 18-35—who thrive on short-form video and mobile-first experiences. Each platform was carefully chosen to align with their media consumption habits, maximizing engagement and interaction.
Ultimately, this campaign is about how Spotify is the new way of listening. Our aim was to embed Spotify so deeply into our audience's daily rhythm that it becomes a natural, indispensable part of their lifestyle.
Saudi audiences are known for their love of gaming, how is Spotify integrating this into their own cosmos to appeal to the Saudi youth?
Gaming in Saudi Arabia isn’t just a form of entertainment; it’s a cultural phenomenon and a booming billion-dollar industry, projected to contribute $13.3 billion to the country’s GDP by 2030. Recognizing the profound connection between gaming and music, Spotify has tailored its services to enhance this dynamic. Saudi gamers, among the most engaged globally, find Spotify an ideal platform for streaming music on gaming consoles, where great gameplay thrives on great soundtracks.
We have actively engaged with the gaming community through curated playlists and strategic industry collaborations. Previously, our partnership with Gamers8, now known as the Esports World Cup, allowed us to integrate Spotify’s music directly into Saudi’s esports scene, providing official tournament anthems for two consecutive years.
Building on this, our latest initiative involves a significant collaboration with Koora, Saudi Arabia’s leading football digital platform. This partnership is designed to blend Spotify's music experience with the world of e-gaming football, offering a fully branded experience throughout all tournament stages—including teasers, registration, gameplay, and prizes. To participate in the tournament, users are required to sign up for Spotify, linking their gaming activities directly with their audio streaming experience.
Looking forward, we remain committed to deepening our engagement in the gaming sector. By expanding our gaming playlists and crafting tailored experiences, our aim is to meet Saudi gamers where they are—immersed in their games—and elevate their experiences with the perfect soundtrack. This strategy not only connects music, gaming, and culture but also creates a unique listening landscape that resonates powerfully with the youth of Saudi Arabia.
Marketing is not what it used to be, how is Spotify using content creators at large in its bid to attract audiences at large in the Saudi scene?
Content creators have become a powerful bridge between brands and audiences, especially in Saudi Arabia, one of the most dynamic digital markets in MENA. The country was among the earliest in the region to embrace content-driven marketing, and today, creators play a central role in shaping trends and sparking conversations. At Spotify, we see content creators not just as brand amplifiers but as tastemakers and cultural curators who help bring Spotify closer to audiences in an authentic and relevant way.
For our latest campaign, we partnered with nearly 30 content creators spanning food, fashion, tech, gaming, and football—verticals that deeply resonate with Saudi audiences. The approach was strategic and educational, ensuring that content creators effectively communicated Spotify’s value—from curated playlists to our Arabic music catalog and unique features—within their daily routines.
Saudi Arabia’s content creators marketing industry is projected to reach $95.69 million by 2025, growing at a 9.82% CAGR through 2029, with a projected market volume of $139.2 million. This rapid expansion underscores the effectiveness of content creators partnerships in fostering engagement and driving meaningful brand connections.
Spotify remains committed to evolving its content creators’ strategy in Saudi, ensuring that we continue to collaborate with creators who bring value, credibility, and a local voice to the conversation.
Sometimes Spotify is accused of not being generous to artists and of employing ghost artists, what is the official stance on this? [DA1]
On artist payment:
Spotify doesn’t pay artists or songwriters directly. Spotify primarily makes money for music from two sources — Spotify Premium subscribers and advertisers on Spotify’s Free tier. Approximately two-thirds of this money is paid out to music rights holders to what we call the “royalty pool.”Spotify allocates that royalty pool based on each rights holder’s streamshare on Spotify. This money is not divvied up based on a fixed amount per stream because Premium subscribers do not pay per stream; they pay a subscription fee for access. A few weeks ago, we announced that we paid out a record $10 billion to the music industry—totaling nearly $60 billion since our founding. For another year, Spotify set the record for the highest annual payment to the music industry from any single retailer. The figure has increased 10-fold over the past 10 years, representing a big part of the nearly $60BN Spotify has paid since its founding. We can proudly say our personalization and innovation in this space have played a role here because personalization drives retention and keeps users on our platform.
On ghost artists
Spotify prioritizes listener satisfaction, and our playlist editors’ programming decisions focus on what music positively resonates with our users. There is a demand for music to suit certain occasions or activities, including mood or background music. Like all other music on Spotify, this music is licensed by rightsholders, and while the terms of each agreement vary, none of those agreements promise placement on any playlists. Spotify doesn’t dictate how artists present their work, including whether they publish their songs with real names, under a band name, or a pseudonym.
The Saudi market is very tricky, with many dialects and heritages, how do you deal with it – from something that appeals to everyone to hyperlocalized experiences?
Winning in any market starts with the right product fit—and that means building something that truly meets local needs. In Saudi Arabia, hyperlocalization isn’t just a strategy—it’s essential to making a real impact. At Spotify, we don’t just reflect culture; we celebrate and amplify it. Saudi is a rich tapestry of dialects, traditions, and evolving sounds, and we focus on both national and regional nuances to ensure our experience feels deeply personal to listeners.
Over the years, we’ve continuously enhanced our product for the Saudi market—whether it’s launching cultural hubs like Ramadan, rolling out language support in local dialects, curating Saudi National Day playlists, or even creating dedicated Spotify KSA social handles to engage directly with our audience. Our marketing is just as hyperlocalized—and in our latest campaign, we even featured local talent such as the incredible Saudi actor Saad Abdulaziz.
On music level, we have Saudi playlists dedicated to different moods and moments. We’ve also localized our Artist Programs to support and nurture Saudi talent in a way that meets their specific needs. Our local teams on the ground ensure we’re always listening, learning, and evolving.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to localization, but our commitment is clear—we will continue investing, adapting, and innovating, making sure every interaction teaches us something new about the Saudi market so we can deliver the best possible experience for our users.
[DA1]These are the official statements
