The conference is on four main pillars, which will operate as building blocks for the development of the music industry in the region.
XP Music Conference by MDLBEAST, a three-day event, kicks off today, December 13, welcoming local and international artists for panel discussions, workshops, and more.
The conference hosts 58 activations over three days at Jax, Diriyah, with the first day featuring 17 different workshops, fishbowls, keynotes and discussion panels that aim to lay the foundation for a thriving music industry in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.
Speaking at the conference, Nada Alhelabi, Director of programming for XP said: “In collaboration with the Music Commission we launch the XP Music Conference today in a quest to expand opportunities for music industry professionals of all backgrounds including artists, entrepreneurs and policymakers. These are exciting times for the music scene in Saudi Arabia and the region as there’s an enormous amount of potential to exploit, and XP represents the perfect platform to enable the laying of strong foundations ahead of the upcoming unprecedented surge of growth.”
Among those attending will be people representing diverse labels, publishers, talent, nongovernmental organisations, events companies, entrepreneurs and industry media. The conference brings together 150 leading music industry figures from 26 countries around the world, including 63 female music professionals. All activations are categorised under four main pillars which are considered the building blocks for the development of the regional music industry: Talent, Scene, Policy, and Impact.
On day one of XP, the talent-building block will be addressed through six events, including the official opening, which will feature some of the best up-and-coming local music talents, followed by a reaction panel titled “How do I get into the music industry.” Later in the day, a fishbowl will cover the regional nighttime economy and a discussion panel will provide insights that help create a successful music industry in the region. Two other discussion panels moderated by the renowned music producer and DJ, Carly Wilford, will focus on how to build a DJ career.
The scene-building block will be thoroughly covered in 10 workshops on the first day of XP, starting with an open educational event covering music copyrights. That will be followed by an in-depth discussion covering the growth of the music media industry in Saudi Arabia. Tarek Mounir, ex-CEO of Deezer MENA, will also deliver a keynote that examines the current regional music industry and presents solutions to create a new economy for artists. In addition to that, the programme includes five different discussion panels that will cover topics such as the role music plays in positioning a city on the global map, music and film, funding artists, intellectual property and the middle east music economy. A closed-door session will also be held during the day by the Music Commission to cover education initiatives.
Day one of XP also addresses the impact of the music industry through an engaging workshop operated by the founding members of collective SheSaid, who will share their vision on how to achieve gender parity in the music industry.
