The archive · Content & Film · Marketing decision · 2024–2025
Billboard Arabia turns MENA landscapes into vinyl records — two Grand Clio Music Awards
Topographic data from five MENA locations becomes vinyl sample packs, letting Arab producers make hits from the sound of their own land.
Billboard Arabia (SRMG)
What it had to solve
Billboard, the world's leading music magazine, was entering the Middle East but was virtually unknown there, even though the region was the world's fastest-growing music market, projected to reach $760 million by 2027. To win over fans, the brand first had to win the region's artists and producers.
How it works
Billboard, the American music-industry bible, launched in the Arab world with a problem: it was virtually unknown in the region, even though the Middle East was music's fastest-growing market, projected to reach $760 million by 2027. To win over fans, Billboard Arabia decided it first had to win the region's artists and producers.
The team at SRMG Labs noticed that microscopic photos of vinyl record grooves looked strikingly like Middle Eastern landscapes, and asked a simple question: what would it sound like to run a needle through the valleys of the region? They collected topographic data from five iconic places — AlUla in Saudi Arabia, Tafilah in Jordan, Tinghir in Morocco, Kadisha Valley in Lebanon and Luxor in Egypt — and turned those landscapes into 3D models that were engraved onto vinyl.
The result was 'Sounds of the Land': 34 limited-edition vinyl records sent to the region's top 100 producers, alongside free digital sample packs that let any artist experiment with the sounds of their homeland. Geographers and music engineers worked together to make the data translation accurate, and the records were placed directly in recording studios.
The response was a ripple effect: over 150 tracks were released using the samples, reaching more than 68 million people across platforms, with 10 million organic TikTok reach alone. The launch helped transform Billboard from an unknown name into the top music publication in MENA, and the campaign took two Grand Clio Music Awards and four Gold Clios in 2025.
Why it lands
- The idea gives the target audience authorship of the campaign: their land literally becomes the music, so local pride does the brand-building work.
- Targeting the top 100 producers first created credible adoption — fans followed the artists, not the ad.
- The vinyl records made the concept physical and collectible, while digital sample packs removed every barrier to participation.
- The data-to-sound translation is genuinely novel and ownable, so no competitor could copy the launch without looking derivative.
What it did
Over 150 tracks were released using the samples, reaching more than 68 million people across platforms with 10 million organic TikTok reach, and Billboard Arabia went from unknown to the top music publication in MENA. The campaign won two Grand Clio Music Awards and four Gold Clios in 2025, plus a Bronze at LIA.
What you can take
When entering a culture as an outsider, give the culture itself authorship: turning a place's own terrain into creative material earns legitimacy that no imported campaign can claim.
Since then
Artists and producers kept submitting tracks long after launch, and Billboard Arabia partnered with gamma. to curate and release the best submissions throughout the year. The campaign helped Billboard Arabia become the top music publication in MENA and fueled the region's first Billboard Arabia Music Awards, while SRMG Labs was named In-House Agency of the Year at the 2025 Clio Music Awards.
Sources
- Inside Billboard Arabia's Innovative 'Sounds of the Land'
- Billboard Arabia Launches 'Sounds of the Land' Sample Pack
- Billboard Arabia's 'Sounds of the Land' triumphs at Clio Music Awards 2025
- Sounds of the Land (LIA winning entry)
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