Share this article
;)
;)
;)
If you’re a music listener in the MENA, you don’t really have many choices yet in music streaming or downloading apps.
So far, 3 main apps dominate the market, so we decided to review them:
Anghami
Size: 20.8mb
Speed: Instant Access and Play
UI: Fresh, smooth, and fast
Login: Facebook or Google+ Integration
Languages: English, Arabic, French
Undoubtedly the most popular music app in the Arab world, Anghami has a huge library of Arabic and international songs and lots of loyal users. Its main features include listening to mood relevant playlists in the “Personal DJ” section.
Some playlists consider your mood or the activity you’re engaged in. More specific playlists include top charts with the newest hits, or their polar opposites in the Lebanese Classical section, oldies, or Indie music (though you’ll find a lot more choice for that last option in an app called “Mideast Tunes” which we also cover in this article).
Arab Idol fans have their own section as well, since they can listen to their favorite popstar wannabes(not popstars yet) in one place.
Music can also be broken down by country of origin. Other categories include morning or evening music, and, of course, specific genres.
The music player can be accessed at the bottom row at anytime while using the app. There, you can save your favorite songs to listen to them again later. Even if you do not save your favorites, you can still re-visit your recent tunes in the main menu. You can follow your favorite artists to stay updated on their most recent works, or you can even listen to their personal radios.
While downloading the app and listening to the songs is free. Users can only download songs for the first 30 days, after which they would have to buy premium: Anghami Plus costs $5 a month, unless you’re in Kuwait or European countries, then it’s $7 a month.
Tip: There’s a reward system in the menu: if you invite 3 friends, you get an extra month of free downloads.
Mazika
Size: 12.8mb
Speed: Instant Access and Play
UI: Simple, and fast
Login: Facebook Integration
Languages: English, Arabic
While it may not be as popular as Anghami, who spend big advertising dollars (probably through their partnership with Alfa) Mazika boasts a huge library of songs, and an impressive yet simple UI.
It shows less sections than Anghami, but users can still create their own playlists. Existing popular sections are”hot tracks this week”, “Mazika Top 20”, and “Classics of the Week.” My personal favorite is the “Best of Halim Abd El Hafez”, but it feels a bit random when compared to the other “generic” categories.
The music player shows as a disc that wears headphones at the bottom anywhere inside the app, showing the album cover of the song you’re listening to. Options inside the music player include favoriting a track, removing it from the playlist altogether, making it your ringtone, sharing it, or downloading it.
Users can search the acclaimed gigantic library by artist in alphabetical order. The iOS version shows that it’s easy to find your artist by pointing at the first letter - iTunes users are all-too-familiar with this feature.
Hidden in the main menu is “Mazika Mix”, and it contains sections named Ekhtarna Lak, Love Breath, Underground, Sha3byat, Fora’a, Old is Gold, Let’s Dance, and Morning Chill. This is a bit similar to what Anghami did in their “Personal DJ” section. However, the reason it might be hidden from plain sight is that if you listened to all playlists, you would be done within 15 hours.
What’s a bit strange about this app, is that it doesn’t show any sign of monetization, there are no ads and no premium products or services.
Mideast Tunes
Size: 6.7mb
Speed: Fast Access and Play
UI: Simple, and fast
Login: Not Required
Languages: English, Arabic
Mideast Tunes is perhaps the most intrusive in this small list. It was built to support Indie musicians in the MENA, and it remains true to its intentions even a few years after its launch, it does not show any mainstream music, and it does not try to make money.
It is the only worthy app in the MENA for people who wish to explore what musicians do when they aren’t told what to do by record labels.
Both popular and new artists can be filtered by genre and/or country. This is perhaps the most unique feat of this app. Ever wondered what metal bands from Saudi Arabia sound like? You can learn about any underground music scene in the Arab World and listen to their music offline for free. No other music app in the region can offer this.
BONUS: Check out this Arabic song search engine.
Latest Business
Intelligence Report
