We have six departments, including human resources, accounting and sales, and we’re hiring more people.” He said: “We started with five employees - and now we are 20 and growing. Karkashan said that as the center has grown, it has become a more professional outfit with a robust business model and several income streams: tuition, ticketed concerts, artist management, equipment hire and corporate events. The center also provides equipment, talent and management services for indoor and outdoor corporate events, staged in malls and other public spaces, attracting audiences of up to 2,000. The typical age of musicians is 15 to 40, although some are aged 50 and above. Three years on, it occupies an entire 400-square meter building divided into an eight-room teaching area, a 250-capacity auditorium and a recording studio.Ĭlients can learn a variety of instruments, including guitar, violin and drums, along with vocals. The center was initially launched with just two rooms - a recording studio and a jamming and learning space. Such activities are crucial for the incubation of Saudi musical performers in order to supply high quality content to an industry hungry for new talent. “That’s the goal, for both boys and girls - and surprisingly, over 60 percent of our clients are female.”
And our vision is to enable an individual to go the full circle with us - from learning an instrument to recording original material and then presenting his or her music to a live audience. He told Arab News: “Our goal was to create a hub for musicians. The center’s General Manager Shaher Karkashan, 32, founded the center with his musician colleagues in 2018. Jeddah-based Makan Music Center, which offers a full range of musical services, is a focal point of the Kingdom’s burgeoning music scene. Mariah Carey, the Black Eyed Peas and Enrique Iglesias have all performed in the Kingdom, prior to the COVID-19 epidemic putting a temporary halt on public gatherings. Saudi promoters such as Benchmark and AK Events have brought major international stars to local audiences.
Numerous KSA-based companies are getting in on the act, via a spectrum of platforms: TV, Internet, social media, streaming services such as Lebanon-based Anghami (focused on Middle East-origin music) and live performance. The General Entertainment Authority was established in 2016 with a mission to “provide recreational opportunities for all segments of society…to enrich lives and to spread joy.” It is doing just that with spectacular mega-events like Riyadh Season.Īnd with the relaxation of social norms in the Kingdom, music has become not just an integral part of daily life, but a dynamic new economic sector. JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s music industry has seen rapid growth from a standing start, largely due to the Vision 2030 reform plan, which positions entertainment front and center in the diversification of the Kingdom’s economy away from oil and its derivatives.
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