Warner Music Merwas label

Photo Credit: Warner Music Group

Warner Music Group (WMG) is launching a label in Riyadh under a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Merwas.

The major and the three-year-old multimedia company unveiled their tie-up in a brief release. Founded in 2022 by Nada Al Tuwaijri (who’s also CEO) and Rumayyan Alrumayan (MD), Merwas boasts “a team of seasoned experts in music and entertainment” and operates “22 state-of-the-art studios with other creative spaces in one location,” according to its website.

Besides therefore housing “the largest recording studio in the world,” that location is evidently indicative of a desire to attract prominent global artists and break homegrown talent. And on the opposite side of the union, MENA’s quick-developing (and streaming-centered) music market isn’t exactly a secret – nor are the Qanawat Music owner and Rotana Music stakeholder Warner Music’s investments in the region.

(Additionally, Saudi Arabia is aggressively pursuing entertainment-sector expansions under its Vision 2030 framework, and from an IP perspective, the Merwas website’s emphasis “on intellectual property rights and its preservation” strikes all the right notes. Not coincidentally, WMG exec Alfonso Perez Soto participated in an AI-focused panel at Saudi Arabia’s recent Joy Forum 2025, where he stressed the importance of protecting rights while leveraging lawful AI tools.)

Enter the newly finalized pact, under which WMG and Merwas intend to “sign, develop and promote both established superstar acts and the most promising up-and-coming artists” across MENA and the world.

Though those signings remain to be seen – the involved entities didn’t disclose any roster details in their announcement – Warner Music MENA GM Ahmed Nureni in a statement underscored the aforesaid music-space momentum behind the Middle East and North Africa.

“The Middle East and North Africa is one of the fastest-growing regions for the music industry, and this deal expands our presence at the heart of it,” indicated Nureni, who doubles as a Qanawat exec. “The incredible next-generation facilities offered by Merwas, combined with Warner Music’s artist development expertise and global reach, offers artists from across the region a platform like no other.”

“MENA has been a sleeping giant in the global music industry, but with almost half a billion Arabic speakers and increasing sign-ups to the digital music services, we’re waking up fast,” added Alrumayan. “We’re delighted with the partnership and to turbocharge the careers of some of the most exciting artists from our region by providing them the reach to the world.”

Of course, Warner Music isn’t alone in looking to enhance its MENA positioning. Also in Saudi Arabia, June saw Sony Music Middle East secure a talent-discovery and global-marketing partnership with LuxuryKSA.

After that, July brought a MENA artist-services expansion for Believe with the signing of (among others) the “Queen of Arab Pop” Nancy Ajram; WMG, for its part, signed Cairo-born singer-songwriter Tamer Hosny.