Israel’s Music Business Has the Ears of the Majors
variety.comShirley Halperin Executive Editor, MusicThe estimated $55 million music market in Israel, like the Middle Eastern country’s comparatively small size, would quantify as the equivalent of a rounding error for a global music company.
But its recorded music revenue growth was up 10.2% in 2021, per the IFPI, and the majors are taking notice.In 2021, UMG opened a Tel Aviv office housing a recorded music division and an arm of Universal Music Publishing Group (headed by managing director Yoram Mokady and general manager Itamar Shafrir, respectively).
Universal Music Israel’s A&R team has hit the ground running, signing local talents like Michael Ben David and Ozel, the latter who performed an industry showcase in May which brought out execs from the U.K.
and tastemakers from Israeli radio — still an influential media source in the country — and the live industry. In addition to developing Hebrew-language artists, the company has partnered with James Diener, who signed Maroon 5 to its first label deal at A&M Octone Records and whose Freesolo Management has represented Avril Lavigne and the Struts, and Ken Levitan, whose Nashville-based Vector Management is home to T Bone Burnett, Kesha and Kid Rock, to find a six-member boy band — Israel’s take on BTS or One Direction.Comprised of Jews and Arabs, the guys will sing in English under the banner As1One.
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