Universal Music Morocco will operate from Casablanca, under the leadership of local business executive Serena Safieddine, who will work alongside UMG’s existing regional headquarters in Dubai, and will report into Patrick Boulos, CEO, Universal Music MENA. UMG becomes the first major music company to establish a standalone operation in Morocco, adding to its existing network of UMG operations in more than 60 countries worldwide.
Universal Music Morocco will focus on A&R, creative and commercial partnerships. North Africa has produced a wealth of artist talent across a multitude of genres, languages and countries that has seen both traditional Arabic music and North-African hip-hop from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia achieve commercial success and build audiences within Europe and beyond.
Announcing the launch of Universal Music Morocco, Patrick Boulos, CEO, Universal Music MENA said, “Our new team in Morocco will help accelerate growth, talent discovery and commercial opportunities for our artists and partners across the region and beyond. Within Morocco and their immediate neighbours, there is a wealth of untapped artist talent and we are excited to introduce these unique sounds to global audiences, platforms and partners.”
Adam Granite, EVP, Market Development at Universal Music Group said, “As part of our global commitment to supporting domestic music talent around the world, we are excited to launch Universal Music Morocco, in order to accelerate our ability to support local artistry and talent within Morocco and across North Africa. Under Serena’s guidance we will look to develop UMG’s operations and activity regional, develop deeper industry partnerships and help local artists reach new audiences worldwide.”
Through these strategic investments, initiatives and executive appointments, UMG is accelerating the company’s focus on growing the entire regional music ecosystem including recorded music, music publishing, production, live events, brand partnerships and merchandising efforts.
