Singing the blues (page 1 of 3)

The Arab pop industry may exhibit some of the shark-like traits of the music industry in the West, but it has so far failed to produce more than a few truly international stars. With major labels now snapping up local talent, the situation may soon change. But even that change is likely to affect just a handful of the very biggest names.

The Arab music business suffered a setback when Sony Music Egypt and Sony Music Lebanon recently ceased operations, reportedly due to the downturn in the global music industry. In nine months of operation, Sony Music Egypt released 120 albums. Sony Music Lebanon had signed two local artists this year, Reeda and Ouimena, and Sony Music Egypt signed a boy band. Jonathon Morrish, Sony's vice president of communications for Europe, said the three artists were affected.

"It's impossible to divorce the reasons behind these local decisions from the severity of the global downturn in music sales," says Morrish, "though the market conditions in both Egypt and Lebanon have been very difficult." The Lebanese industry is in decline and the Egyptian industry, according to the most recent International Federation of the Phonographic Industry figures, shows a decline of over 40 percent in units sold.

In good times and bad, Egypt is the traditional heartland of Arab pop, boasting the majority of its songwriters and musicians - and the region's largest population. "Most artists like to come to Egypt for production because most of the composers are here, and it is easy to find musicians," says Rania Madkhour of Dice Marketing & PR Events. Dice is a concert promoter and represents Lebanese star Nawal Zoghby in Egypt.

Persistent censorship in Egypt and the resurgence of the more liberal Lebanese cultural scene has loosened Egypt's grip on the Arab music industry. In recent years, Lebanon has produced more than its share of pop stars with region-wide appeal. "We are losing the lead fast, but have not lost it yet," says Magued Makram, co-founder of event organizers Modern Touch. Prominent DJ Madkhour adds, "Egypt used to be the main source of pop stars. Now they are coming from Lebanon and the Gulf."

Makram identifies censorship and conservative values as the primary reasons for Egypt's lost ground. "There are too many old people dominating the business," he says. "The old stars are great and they really take your breath away, but it is not their time now," he says. When they first started out, the older stars were subject to the same criticism as today's stars, he adds. "I am not for bad lyrics, or pushing someone like Sha'aban Abdel-Rahim [a controversial Egyptian singer] to be a superstar, but when there is a chance to do different music, let the public judge."

The two biggest Arab stars are Amr Diab and Nawal Zoghby, both of whom have pan-Arab appeal. However, the general picture is of a divided region. Makram says there are music boundaries within the Arab world. Gulf singers perform mainly in Gulf states, and Lebanese and Egyptian singers dominate in their own neck of the woods.

"The Egyptian dialect is the most universally understood dialect throughout the Middle East," says Ahmad Marei, the former managing director of Sony Music Europe. "Now singers are trying to have different dialects on each album. This way there is a greater chance of more songs on the CD being popular," says Madkhour. Nawal's new album contains Lebanese, Egyptian and Algerian dialects.

While aiming for pan-Arab appeal, Arab stars are also looking to move into the international pop scene.