The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has launched four new music charts in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and North Africa, less than a year after introducing its first regional MENA chart. These new charts aim to provide official rankings for the top streaming tracks in each respective country. They incorporate music streaming data from major digital service providers in the region and are compiled by BMAT. The launch of these charts marks the first instance of official rankings being made available in each country.
The IFPI will release these market charts on a weekly basis, and they will be accessible on the Official MENA Chart website and announced via its social media channels. The introduction of these four new charts follows the debut of the inaugural official regional chart for MENA in November 2022, which covered 13 markets. The rollout of these charts showcases the sustained growth observed throughout the region, with recorded music revenues experiencing a 23.8% surge in 2022.
IFPI CEO Frances Moore expressed pleasure in expanding the Official MENA Chart to include Egypt, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, stating that each of these countries has their own unique music heritage and the MENA region continues to grow strongly thanks to the breadth and diversity of talent. The current official charts for these countries reveal the top hits in each market. This latest development follows IFPI’s signing of a joint Memorandum of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Economy in June 2022 to support the growth of the UAE’s recorded music industry. MENA had the third-highest growth rate in 2022 and represented the highest share for streaming of any region globally.