Several strategic acquisitions have positioned Reservoir and Poparabia as increasingly dominant forces in the Middle Eastern and North African music market. The companies have recently completed a series of high-profile catalog purchases that greatly expand their footprint across the region’s diverse music scenes, demonstrating their commitment to capturing the growing MENA music industry.
In their latest move, the music rights companies jointly acquired Egyptian star Omar Kamal‘s complete catalog, including both publishing and master rights. Kamal, widely recognized for popularizing the mahraganat genre—a distinctive blend of Egyptian rhythms, electronic music, and rap—has extended the genre’s reach far beyond Egypt’s borders. His 2020 hit “Mahragan Bent El Geran,” which has accumulated over 700 million YouTube views, earned a place among Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Arabic Pop Songs of the 21st Century despite its controversial lyrics. The acquisition announcement came on March 7, 2025 and represents a significant addition to their growing portfolio of regional artists.
Simultaneously, Reservoir and Poparabia have acquired the full catalog of Iraqi company HFM Production, founded by composer Humam Hassan in 2011. The deal encompasses publishing and master rights to over 500 recordings and videos from across the Arabic-speaking world, along with a YouTube channel boasting 3.1 million subscribers and approximately 1.4 billion views. Reservoir’s CEO has openly stated a goal to become the largest Arabic copyright holder through these strategic acquisitions. The acquisition includes upcoming releases planned for the next year.
The companies further expanded their regional presence by securing the publishing and recorded music rights to Kuwaiti singer-songwriter Essa Almarzoug‘s catalog, adding another major MENA territory to their portfolio. These strategic purchases not only diversify their revenue streams but also provide lucrative opportunities for sync deals with regional film and television productions. To maximize exposure for their acquired catalogs, the companies plan to implement targeted promotion through social media advertising and playlist placement on major streaming platforms. These acquisitions build upon previous strategic collaborations, including a joint venture with Egyptian label 100COPIES established in May 2022 and the acquisition of Saudi Arabia’s hip-hop label Mashrex in June 2023.
The partnership between Reservoir and Poparabia continues to strengthen through these bilateral catalog acquisitions and artist development initiatives. With Poparabia serving as sub-publisher for Reservoir’s MENA copyrights and managing regional royalties and sync licensing, the January 2024 publishing deal with Nancy Ajram’s In2Musica further cements their position as key players in the evolving MENA music landscape.
