It is getting increasingly clear that the region as a whole has a deep-rooted issue with piracy. Speaking at length, that’s one of the reason YouTube has often led the race when it comes to being the most used streaming platform in the Arab world. The American giant has just added a new feature to confirm this statement.
The online video-sharing website has just announced that it will be launching its own music charts in three countries from the region. Starting from this Wednesday, users from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt will all have access to a weekly updated database measuring the popularity of music releases and singers.
Appearing on YouTube Music as well as through its specifically tailored website, the charts will shed light on the platform’s top 100 trending songs, top songs, music videos and click-generating artists. This new collection of information will help provide precious insight on an industry that has for too long been too difficult to assess and scale.
“There has been a great shift in how artists release their work in terms of production and promotion on YouTube. Artists now experiment with new song formats and use different features to engage with their fans. YouTube Charts will help emerging and established artists highlight their success and with more than two billion monthly logged in users, YouTube Charts will offer a more holistic representation of a song’s performance.” – said Liliana Abudalo, head of music for the Middle East and North Africa at YouTube.
The Middle East and North Africa, which are currently home to the highest proportion of youth to adults in the region’s history, is being targeted by one of the world’s leading tech companies and mirrors promising signs that further attention and investment will be paid to develop the Arab World’s cultural endeavours online.
