The Middle East is a region, that up to now, has lacked any kind of digital music service of the legally acceptable variety. Two complementary individuals, Elie Habib and Eddy Maroun – a tech expert and musician, respectively – have taken the leap of launching a company to fill that void. Anghami, the name of their Lebanon based company and all-encompassing app, is poised to bring a plethora of local and international tracks to the countries in this area.
Announcing the public beta launch in a UK press release via PR Newswire today, as well as overall launch of an iPhone app, accumulation of users and initial interest will come through invite request, as is the case for many mobilizing startups. Android, Blackberry, Nokia, and web versions are due in a few weeks.
Invites for Anghami can be requested in one step, by submitting an email account right on their website.
The features Anghami is advertising don’t leave them in the pile of “same old, same old” when it comes to music streaming. Though there are lots of service options, song availability isn’t the only selling point of note. The Middle East may be legally accessing many songs for the first time but for anyone outside of the Middle East, is there a drawing point of significant interest?
The quick answer is yes.
Here are the main pieces to Anghami’s system, as explained on their homepage:
- The largest music catalog – Listen to millions of Arabic and international tracks, instantaneously
- Download to your device – Carry your music with you and listen anywhere, even when offline
- Discover new music – Anghami’s “Surprise Me” feature introduces you to tracks you might like
- Socialize with your friends – Listen to songs and playlists and share them with your friends on your favorite social network
- Feel good about your listening – Anghami is 100% legal through partnerships with major regional and international labels
- Listen in best audio quality – Our music comes in pure Dolby Pulse [Encoding]
Nearly all of these items are so common, they are practically expected if the company is to survive. On the other hand, there is definite spark to be seen (or in this case heard) in the last item on the list. Dolby Pulse Encoding is a complex mobile audio codec that is, as quoted from Dolby’s homepage, “well suited for online and streaming audio, such as that delivered by music-on-demand services, Internet radio, and music video applications.”
Though music streaming services clearly make their best efforts to provide high quality audio, Dolby Pulse certainly isn’t a frequently referenced format, at least not among average consumers. Even for those who may be more inclined to use clearer tracks, 192kbps, AAC, mp4, and lossless are the terms that usually permeate conversation. Assessing the comparison chart Dolby provides, use of this format could serve well as a distinguishing element for Anghami.
The music selection aspect combined with assurance of total legality leaves Anghami on a rather impressive pedestal –particularly with non-Middle Eastern user interest in mind. As reported from the PR Newswire release,
“Anghami has partnered with leading regional music labels and aggregators such as Rotana, the largest Arabic music label (with exclusivity for streaming in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Lebanon), Melody, Mazzika, Platinum Records and others. Anghami is also the only music streaming service in the region to feature content from the International major labels such as Sony Music, EMI, Warner and others.”
Building on major label connections, there is also the broader exposure of Arabic music, something not frequenting American or European rotation. Therein lies an aspect of newness and discovery that non-local users can explore, standing apart from the “Surprise Me” feature entirely, as well as adding another significant piece of individuality not attainable by services providing already globally exposed material.
It will be fascinating to see if in Anghami’s quest to be a ‘first’ for the Middle East, it will also bring serious light to another branch of the international music scene for the west. If it can deliver in the way it has presented itself, Anghami will be a cut above the rest. According to Anghami’s official Twitter account, there are already plans for a second company location in Dubai next year.
Kira is an old school music nerd with a love for all things creative; always searching for music’s common ground. She graduated with an M.A. in Performing Arts Administration from New York University. Drop her a tweet @shadowmelody1
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