"When the IFPI released its 2018 Global Music Report in Apr. 2018, one region was completely absent from its pages: the Middle East. The music industry has historically turned a blind eye on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) because the vast majority of the region's consumers still listen to music for free -- either through legal ad-supported channels, or through physical or onlin piracy. By some reports, piracy still costs the wider MENA entertainment industry $500 million annually. Yet, 2018 also marked the year major labels and streaming platforms invested more capital into the region than ever before."