Technology companies and platforms ask for Arabic music data: metadata, lyrics and sometimes audio, for research, recommendation and model work. Mazufa licenses parts of its catalogue for that purpose on one condition that comes before every other: the artist has said yes, in writing, to the specific use. This page sets out the principles, what a licensee receives and how requests are reviewed.
Why consent comes first
Arabic music is under-represented in the data that systems are built on, and the gap is often filled by scraping. Mazufa takes a different route: a licence that names the use, the licensee and the term, signed by the artist for their own recordings, with the artist's share set out in their written agreement. Nothing in the catalogue is included by default.
The programme covers three layers, each with its own consent. Metadata means titles, credits, codes, dates and genre tags. Lyrics means text the writer or publisher has cleared for licensing. Audio means the recording itself, and it is included only where the artist has signed a specific consent naming the use.
The principles
These principles are written into every licence Mazufa signs. The licence is signed by MAZUFA FOR MUSIC PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION, CR 164552-1, Bahrain, on behalf of the artists who have opted in.
- Opt-in per artist: no recording is included unless its artist has chosen to include it
- Written consent naming the use: research, recommendation, model training or another purpose, stated in plain words
- The artist's share of licence revenue is set out in their written agreement with Mazufa
- No uses outside the licence: a licence for recommendation does not permit training, and the reverse
- Audit rights: the artist and Mazufa may ask the licensee to show how the data was used
- Withdrawal for future uses: an artist can leave the programme at any time for new licences, while existing licences run to their term
What a licensee receives
A licensee receives a defined dataset, not access to the catalogue. Each delivery is described in a schedule that lists every recording by ISRC, the layers included, the consent status of each item and the permitted use. Metadata is delivered as structured files with one fixed spelling of each name, following the Mazufa standard for Arabic names in Latin letters.
- Metadata: titles in Arabic and Latin script, performer and writer credits, ISRC and UPC, release dates, dialect and genre tags
- Lyrics: cleared text in Arabic with dialect notes, and translation where it exists
- Audio: lossless files, only for recordings with specific signed consent, with a file-level record of that consent
- A consent register for the dataset, so the licensee can show which artist agreed to what
How requests are reviewed
A request starts with the form on this page. A person at Mazufa reads it and replies with questions about the intended use, the term, the territory and how the data will be stored. If the use is one that artists in the catalogue have already opted into, we prepare a draft schedule and a draft licence. If it is a new use, we go back to the artists first; no one is asked to consent in a hurry.
Requests are declined when the use cannot be described clearly, when the licensee will not accept audit rights, or when the data would be passed to third parties outside the licence. A decline is given in writing with the reason.
What the programme is not
It is not a bulk feed of the catalogue, and it does not include recordings whose artists have not opted in. It is not a substitute for the licences a platform needs to stream or sell the recordings; those stay separate. For artists who take part there is no upload fee, no subscription, no per-release fee; the revenue share is set out in your written agreement.
Questions
Can an artist withdraw after signing?
Yes, for future licences. Withdrawal applies to every licence signed after the date of the notice. Licences already signed run to their term, and the artist continues to receive their share for those.
Does a licence let the licensee release the recordings?
No. The licence covers the stated data use only. Streaming, sale, sync and any public release stay under the ordinary rights and need their own agreement.
How does an artist join the programme?
An artist with Mazufa asks for the consent form by email. The form lists the layers and the uses one by one, and the artist ticks only what they accept. Artists are never enrolled automatically.