Postcard from Kuwait City
Sami El-Quqa, CEO at MusicGrid, chats to Transform about how his full-service music branding agency was founded, his favourite projects and the GCC’s relationship with sonic branding.
What led you to found MusicGrid, and how did the company evolve into the sonic branding leader it is today?
A decade ago, throughout my studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston, I became fascinated with the world of music licensing, specifically writing for royalty free music libraries. After graduating from my business master’s in the UK, I launched MusicGrid as a music library, and our plan was to be the leading MENA based music licensing platform.
We launched with 40,000 tracks and saw success. However, we saw more traction from our secondary service, which was placed in the bottom footer of the website, for custom music. Startups and SMEs were asking specifically for sonic logos, and six to seven months after launching the library, we decided to fully transition to a sonic branding agency.
This all started in 2017. Fast forward to 2026, we have now worked with 360 brands in the MENA region, and now only enterprise brands.
You’ve worked with a wide range of clients – from Jahez to national institutions. Which sonic branding project stands out most to you, and why?
What stands out to me the most is our work with Trolley, one of the region’s fastest growing retail stores. It all started with a three-note sonic logo, but has now transitioned into a full-scale sonic identity, including a rollout strategy.This rollout included a full orchestral version of the sonic identity with the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, which was a pleasure to orchestrate and coordinate. What is exciting about this project is that it is only the start of the rollout. There are still plenty of adaptations of the sonic identity planned to launch in 2026, and now we are working on the immersive in store music experience.
How has Kuwait’s culture and music scene influenced your work, both professionally and on a personal level?
Although MusicGrid’s HQ is Saudi Arabia, Kuwait has played a big role personally and professionally in MusicGrid’s growth. Professionally, we started out here. From Boursa (Kuwait’s stock exchange) to CINET (Kuwait’s credit information network), these projects played a big role in spreading the word for us. Additionally, the entrepreneurial spirit of Kuwaitis has been pivotal in my personal work ambition.
On a personal level, Kuwait has always been my home. I grew up here, my family is in Kuwait and my past few years after living abroad has inspired me to contribute to Kuwaiti society.
How have you seen the GCC’s relationship with sonic branding change over time?
When we first transitioned to sonic branding, we would spend the majority of our pitches explaining to clients what sonic branding is as an overall concept. Now, that has completely changed.
The majority of our prospects come in at the very least equipped with basic knowledge of sonic branding. When selling, our focus has now shifted to showing credibility, consulting and providing thorough personalised case studies.
Moreover, Saudi Vision 2030 has played a big role across the GCC when it comes to sonic branding. Brands now see this as a must have, not simply a nice to have. Saudi government entities and private institutions are investing heavily in branding and are now aware of the importance sound plays.
Looking ahead, how do you see sonic branding evolving – particularly with AI’s growing influence on music production?
In terms of general evolution, I see more and more enterprises regarding sonic branding as a necessity, not a luxury. We are seeing this already. A lot of our work now comes through branding agencies reviewing RFPs that already include sonic branding. I think this is the case globally as well as regionally. Companies are beginning to include sound as part of their overall annual brand and marketing budgets.
When it comes to AI, and specifically its influence on music production, at MusicGrid, in full transparency, we are yet to incorporate AI in final music delivery. I believe it can be useful for creating references, but I do not see the point when it comes to producing final music. Why not use our network of composers? That said, I do see AI becoming a production tool in the future, best used by experts. We already use it heavily for analytical research, briefs and competitor analysis.
It comes to creating the final music. Why not just use our network of composers to create it themselves? However, I do see how eventually it could be a tool to produce music – but it would be best used by experts. I do however see AI as a great tool, that we currently do use, to dive deep into analytical research when preparing briefs, competitor analysis, etc.
This article was taken from Transform magazine Q1, 2026. You can subscribe to the print edition here.
