May Mostafa

BIO

Egyptian music industry professional May Mostafa is the director of Tarkeeza, a digital learning platform focused on developing management and promotional skills within the music industry. Through the platform, she contributes to efforts to equip independent artists and emerging music professionals with the practical knowledge needed to navigate the business side of music. Her work also extends to cultural management and creative production through Simsara Music, an agency supporting independent and experimental music across the Arab world.

Building a sustainable music career requires more than artistic talent. It also demands knowledge of management, marketing, fundraising and the structures that connect musicians with audiences and opportunities. For Egyptian music industry professional May Mostafa, developing these skills is central to her work as director of Tarkeeza, a platform dedicated to music industry education.

Developed through Simsara Music, Tarkeeza provides digital learning resources designed to strengthen professional skills across the music sector. Its programmes target independent artists managing their own careers, emerging music managers, arts management professionals and graduates interested in pursuing careers in the music business. The platform's approach recognises that long-term success in music depends partly on developing specialised knowledge and access to experienced practitioners.

Tarkeeza was developed in partnership with Simsara Music as part of the North Africa Cultural Programme launched by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), with support from the Swiss Cooperation Office. The initiative reflects an investment in professional development for independent music communities, particularly those seeking practical guidance on the business and promotional aspects of the industry.

Under Mostafa's leadership, Tarkeeza's work has included workshops and training activities addressing different aspects of music management and production. Topics have included fundraising for music, introductory music industry knowledge, live event production, technical requirements for bands, and artist management. The programme has delivered workshops in Cairo, London and Riyadh, connecting music professionals and participants across different industry settings.

Fundraising is one of the areas in which Mostafa has contributed her expertise. Through Tarkeeza's training activities, she has helped address a practical concern for independent musicians and cultural practitioners: understanding how to secure resources and develop projects in an industry where creative ambitions often depend on funding, partnerships and effective planning. Such knowledge can help artists and managers approach their work with a clearer understanding of the financial and organisational demands involved.

Mostafa's professional experience extends beyond music education. She has more than a decade of experience in cultural management and has managed El Genaina Theater, a former programme of Culture Resource. Her work has encompassed marketing communications, cultural management, fundraising initiatives, festival communications, album releases, tours, live concert productions and studio projects. This experience has placed her at the intersection of artistic programming, communications and the practical requirements of producing cultural work.

She also works with Simsara Music, where she is identified as an associate artist manager and contributes to the agency's wider development and creative activities. Based in Egypt, Simsara works with a select roster of artists and organisations involved in alternative and experimental music across the Arab world. Its work includes artist management, music public relations and creative production, with an emphasis on supporting sustainable careers and helping artists realise their creative visions.

Mostafa's involvement in creative production is also reflected in Simsara's credits for Syrr, an album by Egyptian musician Maryam Saleh released in March 2026. Mostafa is credited alongside Simsara founder Sarah El Miniawy for creative production, illustrating how her work extends into the development and coordination of recorded music projects.

May Mostafa traded a successful marketing career for the arts. At Culture Resource, she thrived in artistic programming and managing El Genaina Theatre's concerts in Cairo, Egypt. This experience ignited a passion for music, leading her to Simsara Music, where she collaborates with musical icons like Maryam Saleh and Maurice Louca. She also spearheads Tarkeeza, Simsara's educational initiative to empower aspiring music managers.

Through Tarkeeza, Mostafa's work focuses on a part of the music industry that can receive less attention than artists and releases: the professional skills and infrastructure that support creative careers. By making industry knowledge accessible and connecting learning with practical experience, the platform seeks to help independent musicians and emerging professionals better understand the systems in which they work.

As independent music communities continue to develop across North Africa and the wider Arab region, initiatives focused on training, knowledge-sharing and professional exchange can help strengthen the relationships between artists, managers, promoters and cultural organisations. Mostafa's role at Tarkeeza places her within this effort, with music education serving as a means of supporting both individual career development and the wider independent music ecosystem.