DUBAI: Independent music company Reservoir Media and MENA-based music publisher PopArabia have announced a joint venture with Saudi Arabian hip-hop label Mashrex.

The deal represents Reservoir’s ambition to become the largest holder of Arabic music copyrights.

Golnar Khosrowshahi, founder and CEO of Reservoir Media, said: “Our deal with Mashrex bolsters Reservoir’s robust emerging markets strategy, and as Saudi Arabia continues to make investments in music and as hip-hop’s popularity continues to surge, we expect to see strong growth from this market.”

As part of the deal, the companies will jointly release new music under the Mashrex brand.

Reservoir and PopArabia have also acquired several of Mashrex’s previous releases, which will be integrated into their catalogs, and going forward, PopArabia will manage Mashrex’s YouTube channel, which has nearly 400,000 subscribers.

Founded by writer, producer, and rapper Ameer Mashhour in 2016, Mashrex first began releasing music videos in 2016 through YouTube. Specializing in Khaleeji rap, Mashrex works with a team of local talent with recording and producing capabilities in Jeddah.

“Due to its population and outsize influence, the rapid development of entertainment in Saudi Arabia has major impact on the regional music ecosystem,” said Hussain Yoosuf, better known by his stage name “Spek,” founder and CEO of PopArabia and executive vice president of international and emerging markets at Reservoir Media.

He added: “Working with Ameer and Mashrex is an exciting opportunity for us to capitalize on their existing brand and build on the growth and influence of hip-hop across the Gulf and MENA. We’ve already landed a synch for the catalog in a regional film, which I see as an indicator of what the future holds.”