While the musical culture in the Arabian Gulf and Peninsula is often misunderstood, Music in Arabia extends and challenges existing narratives of the region's distinctive music to reveal diverse contributions to centuries-old heritage.

Contributors to Music in Arabia bring a critical eye and ear to the contemporary soundscape, musical life, and expressive culture in the Gulf region. Including work by leading ethnomusicologists, graduate students, and local scholars, this collection presents fresh perspectives and new research addressing why musical expression is fundamental to the area's diverse, transnational communities. The volume also examines music circulation as a commodity, such as with the production of early recordings, the transnational music industry, the context of the Arab Spring, and the region's popular music markets. As a bonus, readers can access a linked website containing audiovisual examples of the music, dance, and expressive culture introduced throughout the book.

With the work of resident heritage practitioners set alongside that of Western researchers, Music in Arabia offers both context and content to clarify how music articulates identity and nation among multiethnic, multiracial, and multinational populations.