July 6, 2023 – ABU DHABI, UAE (CelebrityAccess) – PopArabia, the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) based music publisher and music rights group, has hired Wissam Khodur (aka Eslam Jawaad) as its new Vice President (VP), A&R and Acquisitions. The music executive and rapper will be based out of the United Arab Emirates and will report to PopArabia’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder, Hussain Yoosuf (aka Spek).
Before PopArabia, Khodur was Spotify’s Head of the MENA region’s Artist and Label Partnerships. He also had stints as Executive Director at Quincy Jones’ G3 and Director of Special Projects at Ringz & Partners Entertainment – the company behind Wu-Tang Clan’s single-copy album and NFT. Khodur was credited as a co-producer on that album which currently holds a Guinness record for the most valuable album and NFT.
“This is more than a role to me; I am joining a family,” Khodur said in a statement. “I’ve been watching Spek make moves from day one, and there has always been mutual respect there. I am thoroughly excited to bring my passion and energy to further the PopArabia mission.”
“Wissam is a seasoned music industry executive with over 20 years of experience, established relationships and credibility in this region,” Yoosuf added. “His keen ear will help us bring in new talent, and his industry expertise will create exciting opportunities for our roster. I’m thrilled to welcome him as we write the next chapter in the PopArabia story.”
Yoosuf launched PopArabia in the UAE in 2011 with the help of twofour54, an initiative of the Abu Dhabi government that, among other things, provides a media duty-free zone that counts CNN and Sky News Arabia among the many companies in its jurisdiction.
The company represents the catalogs of Sony Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Concord Music, Peermusic, Downtown Music Publishing, and Kobalt Music Publishing, among others.
Its music rights division is responsible for launching the first rights management entity for music in the Persian Gulf countries, ESMAA – which translates to the Arabic word for “listen.” ESMAA is also a Client Rights Management Entity of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC). CISAC, founded in 1926, is a global not-for-profit that protects the rights and promotes the interests of creators worldwide through collective management organizations.
The company highlights its position “at the forefront of advocacy for music rights in the region,” and it sued Abu Dhabi-headquartered music streaming service Anghami for allegedly streaming unlicensed songs earlier this year.
