Count-down to first Arabian Music Awards begins

Notes and media contacts

Voters are invited to choose from the various nomination categories of each of the following regions: GCC, Egypt, Levant and Maghreb. The People's Choice Awards Categories include: Best Song (Male/Female); Best Album; Best Artist Overall (Male/Female); Best New Artist (Male/Female); Best (Arabic) Video; Best (Arabic) Dance Act; Best Arabic Modern Act (New Style of Music); Best Collaboration Act; Best Western Artist (Male/Female); Best Western Group and Best Western Pop Act.

An exciting category, the Peer Awards, has also been introduced for the artists to vote for each other and choose the Best Overall Artist (Male/Female). This category offers an opportunity for colleagues in the industry to share their admiration and professional opinions of other performers.

For further media information, please contact:
Rawaj International
Sarah Walker Kerr / Zeina El-Dana
Dubai Media City, Dubai, U.A.E.
Tel: +971 (04) 3913560
Fax: +971 (04) 3913564

About Arabian Music Academy (AMA)

The Arabian Music Academy was launched last month by the International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI). The AMA is a regional, membership-driven, initiative endorsed by Dubai Media City to encourage and promote creativity in Arabic music across the Middle East and North Africa, and to spearhead campaigns on critical issues affecting Arab music producers, distributors, and consumers, such as labeling, legislation, protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), home taping, piracy, archive and preservation issues, artistic exchange programmes and censorship concerns.

About International Federation of Phonogram Industries (IFPI)

IFPI represents nearly 1,500 record producers in 76 countries. The international companies represented on the Middle East North African executive committee include BMG, EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner, while the regional music firms include Founoon, Rotana and MegaStar. Senior officers of the Recording Association of America (RIAA) and IFPI top executives from the five international companies represent over 70 per cent of the US$ 38 billion music market, and the three regional companies represent more than 85 per cent of the Arabic music industry in the MENA region.

About Dubai Media City

Strategically located in Dubai at the crossroads of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Dubai Media City is rapidly emerging as the region's media hub. The City provides an advanced infrastructure and supportive environment for media-related businesses to operate globally out of Dubai. Dubai Media City is the place where every kind of media business, specifically - Media & Marketing Services, Publishing & Printing, Music, Film, New Media, Leisure & Entertainment, Broadcasting and Information Agencies will thrive. The facility offers an environment that allows companies and individuals to operate with collective synergy and freedom.

Since its official opening in January 2001, Dubai Media City has grown tremendously to become a thriving media community of over 780 companies and more than 260 freelance media professionals. Several global media giants and promising entrepreneurial ventures have joined the Dubai Media City community. Three quarters of the media community represents regional and international media companies.
Dubai Media City - Freedom to Create