Nourhan Ismail is 37 years old and is from Egypy. She is an author, podcaster, and music consultant passionate not only about music but also about all entertainment media and social media platforms. Nourhan was born to work in the world of music. She is a strong, charismatic woman who managed to turn her passion and interests into her career, never giving up. She tells us how, despite the prejudices against women, she succeeded by fighting and giving hope to all the young girls who want to pursue this career.
What’s your current occupation and what do you like the most about it?
I am a music consultant and I manage NI Music Consultancy, offering freelancing and consultancies to music record labels and digital distribution companies. I offer services such as (and not exclusive to) music licensing, copyrights and publishing, YouTube and social media management, in addition to offering services to entertainment management for digital content distribution and SEO management.
When did your interest in the music industry start? When did you realize that you wanted to work in it?
I have always been passionate about music since I was a child but I was more fascinated by the digital world. I started working in it in 2011 for Yahoo! and it was there that I gained more experience with videos. Later, from 2016 onwards, I became interested in music videos and started to learn more about the music business and how to market songs. I believe that it was when my true passion for the music business began as I learned more about music rights and how to turn a song into a trend.
What did you study at university? What pushed you to choose this career path?
My curious story is that I studied politics and now work in the music industry. This surprises many people. However, I made good use of what I learned such as law, copyright and intellectual property and the use of diplomacy in negotiations. I believe these are the main reasons I first succeeded as a manager at the record labels where I worked and later as an independent music consultant. I always say, "negotiations are the key to the best deals" and this is something I learned in college.
When and what was your first work experience in this field? Any anecdotes while working that you’d like to tell us?
My first experience was with Qanawat in 2016 which is now owned by Warner Music. I believe the success I had there and moving to Rotana, the largest record label in the Middle East, were not only due to this initial experience but mainly to the hard work I put into learning and implementing new rules in my work. I would say that Qanawat taught me to develop myself and work on my personal brand. The record label itself continuously developed thanks to good branding and was later acquired by Warner Music. I think it was a great place to understand what you can truly do and achieve.
Have you ever noticed inequalities between men and women while working?
Unfortunately all the time! not just where I worked but as an industry. The Middle East has always framed women to be less, much less than men. Whether in positions, in salary ranges and above all in decision making. I can barely see a female decision maker in the industry, even those working in the highest positions. Also, sometimes the environment is not female friendly as it is preferable for a woman to stay away from big deals and huge concerts.
Who are your favorite artists and what are the songs that left their mark on you?
I have always loved Kazem Al Saher as he knows how to grab a woman’s attention with his words and beautiful voice! Specially his song Motamereda which means Rebellion and I think it is obvious enough from its name that he empowers his lover and wants her to be a rebel!
How would you describe the music industry in Egypt? Do you think it differs a lot from larger markets such as the anglo saxon ones?
The Egyptian music industry has always had great potential, often referred to as the "Hollywood of the Arabs" where success hinges on Egyptian appreciation of your music. We produce music with limited resources, constantly innovating and singing for all Arabs. Commercially, Egypt leads the music industry in the Middle East due to its vast fan base and numerous concerts. Many globally famous Arab singers are Egyptian. However, the digital industry here lags due to a lack of technical expertise and copyright conflicts. International entities often overlook the nuances of our industry and seek to impose rules that do not align with our reality.
Do you think that being from Egypt influences your work opportunities?
Unfortunately, it does! Most of the music platforms and international record labels are based in Dubai, and due to visa and residency requirements they don’t go for Egyptians. Mostthe very attractive vacancies in music platforms , social media platforms or even international record labels are not in the Middle East, it is mainly in the UK or the US and that is very challenging to apply to, it is easy to be rejected just because you are not resident in their country or you don't have local market insights, even though you may be actually very qualified for the job.
What are your future projects?
I am currently working on expanding NI Music Consultancy to include more services and reach more international clients and I am also marketing my own services. Due to some difficulties, I only apply for a few positions that I believe match my qualifications and also add value to my resume. However, because of my entrepreneurial background, not everyone is ready to hire me!
Do you have any suggestions for your fellow Mediterraneans wanting to do your same job?
Firstly, always use your skills regardless of where you work. Sometimes having skills such as negotiation, optimization or marketing can open up new opportunities for you to indirectly collaborate with larger entities beyond your full-time job. For instance, I have worked as a consultant with very large music platforms and labels, even larger than those I worked for directly. This experience helped me expand my skills, build connections, and pursue my dreams!
Do you have a song by a singer from Egypt that you’d like to suggest?
It is called Far2 khebra for the singer Afroto, it talks about having different experiences and it really makes me feel empowered!
You can follow Nourhan here
You can listen to out playilst which also includes her suggestion hereunder: