Anghami Co-Founder Launches IPNation, a $100M Platform for Arabic Music Catalogs
A new investment platform called IPNation launched in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, August 12, with a USD $100 million target to buy up Arabic music catalogs and entertainment intellectual property across the Middle East and North Africa. Music Business Worldwide
The platform was founded by Eddy Maroun, co-founder of the MENA streaming service Anghami, and Jose Maria Dot, former Chief Investment Officer of Abu Dhabi-listed Multiply Group. Maroun serves as Chairman and Chief Innovation Officer; Dot as CEO. IPNation describes itself as the first investment platform dedicated exclusively to Arabic music catalogs and entertainment IP.
The concept is straightforward in outline. IPNation will acquire music masters and publishing rights — the ownership stakes in recordings and compositions that generate royalties — along with artist brands, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rights, and broader entertainment IP originating from the Arab world. It then plans to develop those assets into what it calls "multi-format entertainment franchises," spanning immersive experiences, live shows, film, documentaries, merchandise, gaming, licensing, AI-powered derivatives, and fan engagement.
Backing the launch is Influence Media Partners, a New York-based rights company that made an initial commitment of undisclosed size. Influence Media was founded in 2019 and led by Founder and Co-Managing Partner Lylette Pizarro McLean. In 2022, the firm formed a USD $750 million fund with BlackRock Alternative Investors and Warner Music Group, and its portfolio includes rights from artists such as DJ Khaled, Future, and Enrique Iglesias. On July 29, Influence Media signed an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Anthem Entertainment for over USD $600 million, in collaboration with funds managed by BlackRock affiliates.
For Maroun, the venture addresses a gap he has watched for years. "For decades, Arabic music created massive cultural impact but very little long-term ownership value for the region itself," he said. "IPNation changes that. We are not only acquiring catalogs; we are building a platform that transforms Arabic IP into global entertainment franchises across music, live experiences, storytelling, gaming, AI, and beyond."
Dot framed the opportunity in financial terms. "Arabic music and entertainment IP represent one of the most undervalued cultural asset classes globally today," he said. "We believe the Middle East is entering a new era where culture itself becomes a scalable financial asset."
Maroun brings direct experience of the region's music market. He co-founded Anghami — the name means "My Tunes" in Arabic — with Elie Habib, launching the service in Beirut in November 2012 after both quit their jobs and invested their own money. Anghami relocated its headquarters to Abu Dhabi in 2021 and offers more than 57 million licensed Arabic and international tracks, with the largest catalog of licensed content from major Arabic music labels, according to The Media Line.
Catalogue investment — buying the rights to songs and recordings to earn the royalties they generate — has been one of the music industry's defining financial stories of the past several years, with funds spending hundreds of millions on portfolios tied to established artists. IPNation's bet is that Arabic music, long culturally influential but commercially under-monetised in ownership terms, represents the next frontier for that capital.
