The Music Scene

In the Arab World, Pop Stardom Can Be A Touchy Subject

Most Arab countries are far more culturally liberal than Saudi Arabia. In fact, the Arab world's pop industry superficially resembles our own, with the Arab Top 20 playing on the radio and in discotheques throughout the Middle East. A dozen or so major record labels dominate the scene, mostly based in Egypt and Lebanon. Arab television boasts more than half a dozen music channels, as well as several talent search programs propelled by viewer phone-in voting -- "Star Academy" is just one such program; another is "Superstar," from the same production company that created "American Idol."

Apart from Egypt and a brief mention of Rai, the Post's article gives North Africa short shrift. I do not know enough about either music or Arab music to confirm the details, but the article appears to address its topic in broad strokes. It is worth reading, I think, particularly for its background on the structural differences between Arab and European music, but also for its description of the Egyptian and Lebanese dominated world of popular music.