Arab Music Creators Stand to Gain From New IP Rights Investment Push

Arabic music’s intellectual property has long been undervalued. IPNation, a new UAE-based investment platform, is betting that is about to change, and the consequences for creators, rights holders, and audiences across the Middle East and North Africa could be significant.

Founded by Eddy Maroun, co-founder of Abu Dhabi-based music streaming service Anghami, and José María Dot, former chief investment officer at Multiply Group, IPNation aims to unlock value in an industry that remains underexploited compared to music markets elsewhere. The platform targets a total investment pool of USD 100 million, with backing already secured from Influence Media Partners, a New York-based investor.

Capital will flow into a range of entertainment assets: artist brands, music masters, publishing rights, and the rights to artists’ names, images, and likenesses. IPNation is also exploring acquisitions in broader entertainment ventures, from live performance events to AI-powered content derivatives.

The timing is deliberate. Maroun has pointed to a growing scarcity of authentic intellectual property as artificial intelligence makes it easier and cheaper to produce generic content. In an environment where AI-generated material is becoming commonplace, original creative assets tied to established artists and cultural franchises carry growing weight, both commercially and culturally.

For independent artists and smaller labels across the MENA region, that dynamic has a direct practical meaning. Many lack the resources to develop their IP portfolios or negotiate complex licensing deals. An investment platform that aggregates these assets and brings in institutional capital could reshape how Arabic music is financed and distributed, giving creators access to capital that has historically been difficult to secure.

The platform’s strategy rests on the cultural depth of Arabic music within the region. Rather than treating music as a commodity, IPNation frames it as intellectual property with multiple revenue streams. A single artist’s catalog can generate returns through streaming royalties, live event licensing, merchandise tied to their image, and licensing deals for AI-powered content that uses their likeness or voice.

Meanwhile, IPNation is not alone in choosing the UAE as a base for this kind of work. CineNow, another IP-focused investment vehicle, selected the Emirates as its headquarters while building a platform to tokenize intellectual property from India’s film industry into structured, investable assets. The pattern suggests the UAE is positioning itself as a hub for creative asset investment, drawing capital toward entertainment IP that might otherwise remain fragmented or undermonetized.

For the broader public, the stakes extend beyond finance. The MENA region’s creative industries, and the artists who sustain them, have long operated without the kind of institutional infrastructure that supports music markets in North America or Europe. If platforms like IPNation succeed, they could provide a structural foundation that allows Arabic music to reach wider audiences, fund more productions, and give artists greater control over how their work is used, including in AI applications that increasingly depend on licensed cultural material.

Entertainment IP also offers something that traditional asset classes do not: long commercial lifespans. A music catalog or an artist’s brand can generate revenue for decades, particularly when paired with emerging technologies that open new distribution and licensing channels.

Whether IPNation can deliver on its USD 100 million target will depend on its ability to source deals, navigate the region’s complex rights landscape, and prove that Arabic music IP can generate returns competitive with other asset classes. The more consequential question, for artists and audiences alike, is whether that investment translates into a more sustainable and accessible creative ecosystem across the region.