Live Radio: Anghami’s First-of-a-Kind Real-Time Audio Experience

In a year that has seen Anghami take a huge step in its remarkable rise by relocating to Abu Dhabi and announcing its coming listing on NASDAQ New York, MENA’s leading streaming platform has just announced the launch of a brand new, first-of-its kind feature: Live Radio.

Developed in-house by Anghami, Live Radio - available on iOS and Android - has been dubbed as a live music and voice experience, the first of its kind from any streaming platform on the planet.

Fusing social features with a real-time audio forum experience, Live Radio allows content creators, influencers, and DJs to essentially talk alongside playing tracks, playlists and even podcasts. It essentially gives users the chance to create virtual events, where users can interact with the host in a number of different ways, and Anghami is hoping that this can play a part in building communities around listeners and content producers.

“The social elements of music have always been part of our vision,” said Anghami co-founder, Elie Habib, on the new launch. “In fact, ‘live radio rooms’ were part of our original business pitch in 2011, as we saw the opportunity for social audio features to take off. Having been integrating social features such as stories and chats since 2017, now we are leading the way in delivering the next level of social audio to our users and our contributors. With the pandemic keeping people at home and apart, the intimacy of voice and the need to be closer to others has become more valuable and we expect to see the social audio market realise significant growth.”

Live Radio isn’t completely new, however, having launched in beta in September, 2020, during which Saab and co. made some interesting observations, including active social users having a 30% higher retention rate and social users streaming 33% more average daily seconds than a standard active user - which is where Live Radio comes in, bridging a gap that Anghami has been quick to act on.

“Anghami has an established track record and user base which continues to help us build and leverage our wide range of consumer behavioral data to create local experiences,” Saab added. “Our beta launch displayed how focusing on creating communities and adding interaction has been our best strategic asset, boosting engagement and retention - and a tribute to the region and the music that brings it together.”

It all feeds into a fundamental of Anghami's approach: empowering musicians and content creators. The most obvious and immediate way it did this was by legalising the Arab music streaming market in the face of years of piracy. The company has constantly looked to work with artists and content creators in an effort to foster the next generation of movers and shakers - and Live Radio only serves to further fuel that. The launch of Premium Love Radio and tokens that open the door to users creating subscription-only channels are examples of how the platform will continue to do so.