Recording Studios in Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Emerging Music Production Infrastructure

The recording studio landscape in Riyadh is undergoing a transformation as rapid and ambitious as the Kingdom’s live entertainment revolution. While Saudi Arabia’s global entertainment profile has been built primarily through spectacular live events — Soundstorm Festival, Riyadh Season concerts, championship boxing — the infrastructure for music creation and production is developing in parallel, driven by government investment through the Saudi Music Commission, private sector initiatives from companies like MDLBEAST, and the entrepreneurial energy of a new generation of Saudi musicians and producers.

The development of recording studio infrastructure is strategically essential. A music industry that relies entirely on live events and international touring acts is fundamentally dependent on external talent. A music industry that produces its own recorded content — songs, albums, soundtracks, podcasts, and other audio products — creates intellectual property with long-term commercial value, builds export-oriented cultural products, and develops the artistic talent pipeline that sustains growth over decades. Saudi Arabia’s investment in recording infrastructure reflects an understanding that the Kingdom’s music industry ambitions require production capability, not just consumption capacity.

Saudi Music Hub: Government-Backed Production Facilities

The Saudi Music Hub, operated by the Saudi Music Commission under the Ministry of Culture, represents the most significant government-backed music production initiative in the Kingdom. With branches in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Khobar, the Music Hub was established as the first facility of its kind in Saudi Arabia, providing music classes and production capabilities under certified teachers with international education and experience.

The Music Hub’s offerings encompass both traditional and contemporary music production disciplines. Arabic and Western instrument instruction addresses the full spectrum of musical traditions relevant to Saudi Arabia’s multicultural music scene. Computer music composition training provides the technical skills necessary for modern music production, where a significant proportion of commercial music is created using digital audio workstations (DAWs), virtual instruments, and electronic production techniques.

The lesson format differentiates between disciplines: instrument instruction is delivered individually (one student, one teacher), while computer music composition and song arrangement skills are taught in collective group settings. This pedagogical approach reflects the different learning needs of each discipline — instrument mastery requires individualized attention to technique, while music production and arrangement benefit from collaborative learning environments where students can share ideas and provide feedback.

The quality of instruction at the Music Hub is a key differentiator. Teachers are sourced globally, with international education and experience that bring global production standards and techniques to Saudi students. This international expertise addresses a fundamental challenge in developing the Kingdom’s music production industry: the relative scarcity of experienced music production professionals within Saudi Arabia, given the industry’s recent emergence.

For aspiring music producers in Riyadh, the Music Hub provides access to production equipment and facilities that would be prohibitively expensive for individuals to acquire independently. Professional studio equipment — including recording consoles, microphones, monitoring systems, acoustic treatment, and digital production tools — represents significant capital investment, and the Music Hub’s institutional resources make this technology accessible to students who are developing their skills.

MDLBEAST’s Creative Infrastructure

MDLBEAST, the entertainment company headquartered in Jeddah with significant Riyadh operations, has developed creative infrastructure that supports music production and artist development. MDLBEAST Records, the company’s record label division, has collaborated with over 110 artists, released 159 singles, 4 albums, and 9 EPs, and accumulated more than 200 million streams in its first two years of operation.

The production of this catalog requires studio infrastructure. While specific studio details are closely held by the company, MDLBEAST Records’ output demonstrates active production capabilities that include recording, mixing, mastering, and post-production services. The label’s roster of signed artists — including Cosmicat, Dabous, BluePaper, ZONE+, Kayan, Moontalk, Vinylmode, Moayad, JEME, NarKBeat, and Hrag Mikkel — requires ongoing access to production facilities for recording new material.

The Fresh Finds Saudi Arabia Residency, described as “immersive collaborative studio sessions with acclaimed producers,” explicitly involves studio-based creative work. These residency programs bring emerging Saudi artists into professional studio environments to collaborate with established producers, providing both the creative output (new recordings) and the educational experience (learning professional studio workflows) that accelerate artist development.

Beast House, MDLBEAST’s private members club in Riyadh (described as “Riyadh’s first music and creative private members club”), likely includes creative and production spaces within its facilities. The members club model — used successfully by creative industry organizations worldwide — typically combines social, networking, and creative functions in a single venue, providing members with access to recording, rehearsal, and production spaces alongside the social club amenities.

MDLBEAST’s partnership with Esmaa for music rights licensing and with Telfaz11 for music licensing in film and television demonstrates that the company’s production infrastructure serves not only the recorded music market but also the sync licensing market, where music is licensed for use in audiovisual content. The collaboration with Telfaz11 on music licensing across feature films and original productions creates demand for production capabilities tailored to sync applications — composing and producing music that meets the specific timing, emotional, and technical requirements of film and television use.

Private Studio Development

The private recording studio sector in Riyadh is growing in response to increasing demand from the Kingdom’s expanding musician and producer population. Several factors are driving private studio development.

The growth of Saudi Arabia’s artist community creates demand for studio time. Saudi artist royalties on Spotify reached $3.5 million in 2024, up 76 percent year-over-year. The number of Saudi artists earning SAR 100,000 or more annually from Spotify has doubled since 2023. Artists generating this level of revenue have both the financial resources and the commercial motivation to invest in professional recording.

The emergence of S-pop (Saudi Pop), indie rock, electronic, hip-hop, R&B, and other genres within the Saudi music scene creates demand for diverse studio capabilities. Different genres require different studio configurations — electronic music production may center on digital tools and monitoring systems, while rock and pop recording requires acoustic treatment, isolation booths, and microphone inventories optimized for live instrument capture. The diversity of the Saudi music scene drives corresponding diversity in studio development.

Music Home, the first licensed Music Institute by the Ministry of Culture in Saudi Arabia, operates branches in Riyadh and Jeddah. Licensed in December 2020 as one of the first two music institutes licensed in the Kingdom, Music Home provides music education services that include instruction in instruments, composition, and production. While primarily an educational institution, facilities like Music Home often include production spaces that serve both educational and commercial recording functions.

The Nahawand Center in Taif, which proved “extremely popular” and was “forced to hire more teachers in its first month,” with expansion plans for centers in six cities across the Kingdom, demonstrates the demand for music education and production facilities beyond Riyadh and Jeddah. As these centers expand, they will add production capacity across the Kingdom.

Production Technology and Equipment

The recording studio landscape in Riyadh benefits from access to the full range of modern music production technology. Saudi Arabia’s position as one of the wealthiest nations in the world, combined with its open trade relationships and strong import infrastructure, ensures that studios in Riyadh can equip themselves with the same technology available in studios in London, Los Angeles, or Tokyo.

Digital audio workstations (DAWs) form the foundation of modern music production. Software platforms like Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, FL Studio, and others provide comprehensive production environments that integrate recording, editing, mixing, and mastering functions. The computer music composition training offered at the Saudi Music Hub introduces students to these tools, building the technical skills necessary for professional production.

Hardware recording equipment — including mixing consoles, microphones, preamps, equalizers, compressors, and monitoring systems — provides the analog signal chain that captures sound quality at the highest professional standards. The Steinway and Sons partnership with the Saudi Music Commission, which includes apprenticeship programs for piano technicians, indicates the level of investment in acoustic instruments and the maintenance infrastructure they require.

The musical instrument market in Saudi Arabia is growing, driven by increasing interest in music and cultural appreciation, government arts promotion, expansion of music schools, and educational reforms. First-time buyer growth of 14 percent in musical instruments indicates a population that is actively acquiring the tools of music creation. Percussion and wind instruments dominate demand (reflecting cultural and religious contexts), but the market spans all instrument categories.

The Steinway Dubai showroom, opened in February 2024, received 580 elite piano unit preorders within 60 days of launch — a remarkable figure that demonstrates the appetite for premium musical instruments in the Gulf region. While this showroom serves the broader Gulf market rather than Riyadh specifically, it indicates the purchasing power and musical ambition of the region’s instrument buyers.

Workforce Development for Music Production

Building a recording studio infrastructure requires more than equipment and physical spaces — it requires trained professionals who can operate that equipment at international standards. The Kingdom’s approach to developing this workforce operates on multiple levels.

The Saudi Music Commission’s programs address different segments of the production workforce. The Music Compass Program, described as a “strategic initiative for developing music business management in the Kingdom,” equips practitioners with advanced skills to manage artistic careers. While focused on business management rather than production technique, effective music management requires understanding of the production process, recording workflows, and the commercial implications of production decisions.

The YouTube Music Manager Training Program, launched in December 2024 as a partnership between YouTube and the Saudi Music Commission, upskills 12 artist managers in Saudi Arabia. Artist managers play a critical role in production decisions — they help artists select producers, negotiate studio time and production budgets, and make strategic decisions about recording and release schedules.

The Moja Program for emerging musical and singing talent provides talent development through expert-led workshops that include production-relevant skills. As artists develop their creative abilities, they naturally become more engaged with the production process, learning to articulate their creative vision, provide effective feedback to producers and engineers, and participate actively in studio sessions.

International partnerships bring global production expertise to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Music Commission’s partnership with Hal Leonard (Muse Group) aims to “enhance music education by providing access to best-in-class educational content and resources.” Hal Leonard’s catalog includes extensive music production educational materials that cover recording technique, mixing, mastering, and the full range of studio skills.

The XP Music Futures conference, held annually in Diriyah, provides professional development opportunities for production professionals through its 121 daytime sessions (2024 edition) covering topics across the music industry spectrum. Production-focused sessions connect Saudi professionals with international peers, providing knowledge transfer and networking opportunities that accelerate professional development.

The Sync Licensing Opportunity

Recording studios in Riyadh have a significant opportunity in the growing sync licensing market. Sync licensing — the licensing of music for use in film, television, advertising, video games, and other audiovisual media — represents a revenue stream that complements streaming royalties and live performance income.

MDLBEAST Records’ partnership with Telfaz11 for music licensing across feature films and original productions demonstrates early movement in this direction. As Saudi Arabia’s film and television production industry grows — cinema revenue reached $240 million in 2023, and the Kingdom’s media industry is expanding rapidly — demand for production music and sync licensing will increase.

The esports and gaming sector presents another sync licensing opportunity. With projected GDP contribution of $13.3 billion (SAR 50 billion) by 2030 and $38 billion in government investment, Saudi Arabia’s gaming industry will require extensive musical content for game soundtracks, promotional materials, and live esports events. Recording studios that develop capabilities in game audio and interactive music production will be positioned to serve this growing market.

Future Trajectory

The recording studio landscape in Riyadh is at an early but accelerating stage of development. Several trends will shape its evolution over the coming years.

Government investment in music education — including 9,000 music teachers hired for public schools — will produce new generations of musically literate Saudi citizens who aspire to music production careers. This pipeline will increase both the supply of production talent and the demand for professional studio facilities.

The growth of Saudi artist revenues — from $3.5 million in Spotify royalties in 2024, with 76 percent year-over-year growth — will provide artists with increasing financial resources to invest in professional recording. As artist incomes grow, the demand for higher-quality studio facilities and more sophisticated production services will grow correspondingly.

The planned entertainment mega-venues — Qiddiya, SEVEN, NEOM — will create demand for production infrastructure to support the content creation that these venues require. Theme parks, entertainment destinations, and cultural facilities all require original musical content for attractions, ambient environments, promotional materials, and live performances.

International recording industry interest in Saudi Arabia is growing. The IFPI’s launch of official music charts for Saudi Arabia, the participation of all major digital service providers (Anghami, Apple Music, Deezer, Spotify, YouTube) in the Saudi chart system, and the growing international listenership for Saudi music all increase the global music industry’s attention to the Kingdom as a source of commercial music content.

The MDLBEAST Production Infrastructure

Label-Driven Studio Demand

MDLBEAST Records — headquartered in Jeddah with global distribution — has become the most significant driver of studio demand in the Saudi market. The label’s output of 159 singles, 4 albums, and 9 EPs, involving collaborations with over 110 artists (30+ Saudi, 43 regional, 37 international), requires recording, mixing, and mastering infrastructure at a professional standard. International collaborators including R3HAB, Salvatore Ganacci, Afrojack, and Anton Powers bring production expectations calibrated to global standards, pushing Saudi studios to invest in equipment and expertise that meet international benchmarks.

The label’s plans for sub-labels focused on diverse sounds — from deep house and techno to EDM and Afrobeat — will create additional production demand across a wider range of genres. Each genre has distinct recording requirements: electronic music production emphasizes monitoring accuracy and synthesis capabilities, while acoustic recording for traditional Saudi music fusion requires live room acoustics and microphone selection expertise.

Beast House as Creative Hub

Beast House — Riyadh’s first music and creative private members club, operated by MDLBEAST — provides production facilities, networking space, and creative community infrastructure that complement traditional commercial studio offerings. The members club model creates a creative environment that encourages collaboration and experimentation, functions that commercial studios (where studio time is billable) may not naturally support.

Heritage and Location Recording

The development of recording capabilities at Saudi Arabia’s heritage venues opens unique creative possibilities. The Diriyah Arena’s planned Heritage Music Center will include recording facilities designed to capture the distinctive acoustic character of the heritage environment. AlUla’s development plans include professional recording studios designed for capturing the unique acoustic properties of the region’s desert and canyon environments. These location recording facilities will enable artists to create recordings with acoustic signatures that cannot be replicated in conventional studios — an artistic resource that could become a distinctive element of Saudi music’s sonic identity.

Riyadh’s recording studio infrastructure, while still developing, is being built on a foundation of government investment, private sector entrepreneurship, international partnerships, and a growing community of talented Saudi musicians and producers. The intersection of these forces — combined with the broader entertainment industry growth that provides the commercial context for music production — positions Riyadh’s studio landscape for significant expansion in the years ahead.