Was it only a few weeks ago that I had picked up whispers on Spotify coming into the Middle East? They would have faced a slightly uphill battle going against Anghami’s vast Arabic music library. Looks like both of them will need to make room for Deezer, as they have beaten the latter to debut in the region.

That is just a minor headache ruining Spotify’s efforts for a grand entry, cause the France-based music-streaming service has gotten a leg up on them with a special partnership – they’ve signed an exclusive digital distribution agreement with the Rotana Group that boosts the Arabic music library as an exclusive.

It’s going to be serious competition between Anghami and Deezer, as the latter already has the largest music library from the Middle East region. Spotify has been keeping a tight wrap on their Middle East debut, given that they are on a recruitment spree for their Dubai-based regional office.

Looking to get a headstart in driving more users towards their service, Deezer is offering new users in the Middle East region a sweet offering – six months of its Premium tier for free. In addition, their app was recently updated to Arabic as quoted by their COO on their recently-launched MENA Twitter account.

You will soon find all of Rotana’s leading audio catalogue on Deezer, together with all the other music you love. You can download our app for free in English already and it’s coming in Arabic on 15 October. – Alexander Holland, CCO Deezer.

— Deezer Middle East & North Africa (@DeezerMENA) October 11, 2018

You can download the Deezer app from the iOS App Store and Google Play.