Chairwoman Rasha Khalifa Al Mubarak Announces Senior Leadership Team: Amer M. Samhoun named Chief Executive Officer; James K. Petrie appointed Chief Operating Officer; Ali Dee joins as Chief Creative Officer
ABU DHABI and DUBAI, October 24, 2025 — Music Nation Copyrights Management (“Music Nation”), a pioneer in music rights management in the United Arab Emirates, today announced the formal start of operations along with a seasoned leadership team to accelerate the UAE’s music-licensing infrastructure and ensure timely royalty payments for rights holders.
Music Nation will administer public performance and mechanical rights across the UAE, drawing on its partnership with Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the world’s leading performing rights organization. Additionally, SoundExchange, the recording industry’s leading digital collective management organization, strategically provides Music Nation with neighboring rights administration, providing a single, unified licensing, collection and royalty distribution platform.
“Today marks the start of a new era for artists in the UAE,” said Rasha Khalifa Al Mubarak, Founder and Chairwoman of Music Nation. “With Music Nation’s technology and a leadership team that understands both the UAE’s cultural fabric and global music operations, we’re delivering a simple, transparent, and modern licensing solution that easily licenses businesses and quickly pays creators.”
As part of the launch, Amer M. Samhoun has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, James K. Petrie to Chief Operating Officer, and Ali Dee as Chief Creative Officer. They report to Al Mubarak and will work from offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
“Music Nation’s mandate is clear: make licensing easy for businesses and ensure artists are paid quickly and fairly,” Samhoun said. “With our ongoing hands-on education for the business and creative communities, an artist-first mentality and best-in-class partnerships and data, Music Nation stands ready to deliver on day one.”
Music Nation launches with advanced song matching accuracy by integrating with the global databases of BMI and SoundExchange, reducing unmatched royalties and accelerating payouts.
“BMI is proud to partner with Music Nation as it builds the foundation for a thriving, transparent music rights ecosystem in the UAE,” said Michael O’Neill, President & CEO, Broadcast Music, Inc. “Our shared mission is to ensure that songwriters, composers, and publishers are properly compensated for the use of their music—wherever it’s played. Music Nation’s launch represents a major step forward in expanding that mission globally and empowering creators across the region.”
“SoundExchange shares Music Nation’s mission to build a fair and efficient rights management system for recording artists and rights holders in the UAE,” said Michael Huppe, President & CEO, SoundExchange. “We’re proudly partnering with Music Nation and BMI to ensure artists and rights holders everywhere are properly compensated for the value their music creates in the global marketplace.”
Music Nation is the first rights organization in the region to provide a single platform uniquely capable of combining streamlined licensing for public venues, broadcasters, and events, with transparent reporting and on-time distributions for creators. And with multilingual support and outreach, Music Nation will continue to serve as an education and onboarding partner, helping businesses obtain proper licenses and enrolling rightsholders to receive comprehensive royalty payments.
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Leadership Bios:
AMER M. SAMHOUN
Chief Executive Officer
A UAE and regional business veteran with three decades of leadership in business development and complex program delivery. As CEO, Samhoun oversees strategy, and stakeholder relations, commercial partnerships, and overall operations, ensuring Music Nation’s platform meets the regulatory, cultural and business needs of the Emirates.
JAMES K. PETRIE
Chief Operating Officer
A music and entertainment entrepreneur with more than twenty years of experience across publishing, recorded music, licensing and rights administration for records, film & TV and advertising. As COO, Petrie leads licensing operations, system integrations, data processing and matching, distributions, compliance and service delivery for businesses and rightsholders.
ALI DEE
Chief Creative Officer
An award-winning songwriter, producer, recording artist, and film & TV song composer with more than three decades of music and entertainment business experience, Dee ranks among the top-grossing Executive Music Producers worldwide with 300-plus credits spanning global franchises. As CCO, Dee leads creator relations, repertoire development, education initiatives, and international song camps, connecting UAE talent with global collaborators and opportunities.
About Music Nation
Music Nation, a pioneer in music rights management in the UAE, licenses the rights of authors, publishers, sound recording owners, and performers throughout the United Arab Emirates. These rights include neighboring rights (for sound recordings), public performance rights, and mechanical reproduction rights (for musical compositions). With world-class partnerships and technology, Music Nation is implementing the UAE’s vision for copyright protection by building a best-in-class licensing and royalty distribution infrastructure. Together with BMI and SoundExchange, Music Nation ensures music creators and rights holders are fully and fairly compensated for the use of their work. Learn more at wearemusicnation.ae.