Inside the Saudi Music Cities Exchange Programme: Building the Future of Music Policy in the Gulf
- Music Cities Events
- Jun 26
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 27
The Music Cities Convention is a global series of Conferences that over the past 10 years has helped change the music policy culture of cities all across the world. Launched in 2015 in Brighton to tackle the closure of music venues across London, it has since been hosted in places as varied as Melbourne, Chengdu, Cologne, Fayetteville and more.
By bringing together the leading voices as well as music advocates working at a grassroots level, hosting this event has become key to help cities spotlight the strength of their music ecosystems; as well as bringing the community and Government together around the transformational power of music.
In 2024 the Music Cities Convention was hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of Riyadh Music Week. The purpose of this event was to help guide music policy and music advocacy conversations taking place in the region as Saudi Arabia is expanding its music ecosystem to comply with its 2030 vision strategy.
To further expand the long term impact of the Music Cities Convention, Sound Diplomacy Events & Education is complementing the Conference’s programme with the Saudi Music Cities Exchange Programme.
Launched in 2025, this 8-week educational and capacity-building programme is designed for professionals across Saudi Arabia who are shaping, working in, or influenced by the country’s evolving music ecosystem.
This is the third edition of the Music Cities Exchange Programme, being previously hosted twice in 2023. Firstly, for a cohort of 41 music advocates from 36 European cities (the European Music Cities Exchange), and secondly, as part of Kirklees Year of Music (Kirklees Music Ecosystem Network - Platform Programme).
Want to learn all about the structure of the programme and how it will help redefine music policy culture in Saudi Arabia? Scroll down to discover it!
Want to bring the Music Cities Exchange model to your city?
Reach out to us at pablo@sounddiplomacy.com
Turning Ideas Into Action
Every year, the Music Cities Convention brings together changemakers from around the world—government leaders, music professionals, urban planners, researchers, and more—to discuss how music can improve our cities. To expand that momentum and deepen the transformation, it must be embedded into long-term education and community-building programmes.
That’s where the Saudi Music Cities Exchange comes in.
This programme takes the foundational concepts discussed at the Convention—like music ecosystem design, tourism development, and cross-sector collaboration—and turns them into hands-on learning experiences tailored to the Saudi context.
Programme Structure and Content
Over the course of 8 weeks (6 weeks of learning, followed by 2 weeks for a final assignment), participants commit 6–7 hours per week to dive deep into the building blocks of a strong, sustainable music ecosystem.
Participant Profile: 25–30 selected professionals from across Saudi Arabia working in music, tourism, government, real estate, sustainability, education, and the broader creative economy. All participants are required to have at least two years of experience and a demonstrated commitment to improving their local cultural ecosystem.
Learning Format: The programme is structured around online masterclasses, fireside chats, workshops, and group discussions. Each session explores a key theme, followed by applied coursework and collaborative tasks.
Participants are placed into teams, each focusing on one of five Saudi cities—Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, AlUla, or Taif—and are tasked with designing a localized music strategy by the end of the programme.
Key Weekly Themes
Music Ecosystem & Your Place In It. Understand how music functions as a system and identify your role within it.
Building Music Strategies. Explore how to quantify music’s value and integrate it into urban and cultural development strategies.
Challenges in Music Ecosystems. Learn from global case studies and present local challenges faced by your city.
Music Tourism. Develop strategies that connect music with tourism and place-branding.
Music’s Impact on Other Industries. Discover how music drives growth in tech, real estate, hospitality, and more.
Toolkits for Action. Gain skills in grant-writing, international collaboration, and music export strategy.
7–8. City Music Strategy Final Assignment. In the final two weeks, teams prepare and present a comprehensive strategy to enhance their chosen city’s music ecosystem.
Resources and Community
As part of the programme, participants also gain access to:
Global case studies and city strategies
Expert-led lectures and real-time feedback
A dedicated online community hosted on the Music Cities Community platform, where they can continue discussions, access materials, and connect with their cohort
A New Blueprint for Music Ecosystem Development
The Saudi Music Cities Exchange Programme offers more than just training—it’s a blueprint for building the infrastructure and policy culture that music needs to thrive. By fostering collaboration between sectors and grounding music strategy in local realities, the programme strengthens Saudi Arabia’s position in the global conversation on music and urban development.
And as more cities around the world join the Music Cities movement, this model of Convention + Capacity Building could be a powerful way to ensure that what starts as a conversation becomes lasting change.
Meet the Speakers & Participants
One of the greatest strengths of the Saudi Music Cities Exchange Programme lies in its people.
This year’s cohort includes 25–30 professionals from across Saudi Arabia—visionary individuals working at the intersection of music, tourism, government, urban planning, real estate, sustainability, education, and beyond. Together, they represent a new generation of changemakers committed to shaping the future of music in their cities.
From music venue operators in Jeddah to cultural strategists in AlUla, and tourism officers in Taif to music entrepreneurs in Riyadh, each participant brings a unique perspective and local expertise to the programme.
Additionally, the programme includes a roster of speakers leading the global conversation about music cities.
Participants include key local music advocates, such as:
Speakers include key global music policy specialists, such as:
Are you looking to discover the results of the Saudi Music Cities Exchange Programme? Then stay tuned to the weekly updates we'll be posting across our social media channels.
Want to bring the Music Cities Exchange model to your city?
Reach out to us at pablo@sounddiplomacy.com
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