Spek began his career in Montreal as a successful songwriter, artist, and producer. He was a member of Juno Award-winning Canadian hip-hop pioneers Dream Warriors, who sold over a million records worldwide. Relocating to London in the late ’90s, he toured with Us3 and collaborated with British composer Nitin Sawhney on the acclaimed album Beyond Skin, which GQ India hailed as “among the greatest records of the 20th Century.”
In 2006, Spek moved to the UAE and in 2011 founded PopArabia, the leading music publisher and rights company in the Middle East & North Africa. PopArabia has worked with all major publishers and pioneered music rights infrastructure across the region. In 2020, PopArabia launched ESMAA, the first rights management organization in the Gulf, licensing major events like DubaiEXPO and Saudi Arabia’s Soundstorm.
In 2015, Spek joined New York-based Reservoir to lead A&R and creative strategy. During his tenure, Reservoir expanded to LA and Nashville, consistently ranked in Billboard’s Top 10 U.S. Market Share, signed major songwriters including Ali Tamposi and J.I.D, and became the first indie music company to go public on NASDAQ in 2021.
Returning to the UAE in 2019, Spek launched a joint venture between Reservoir and PopArabia to invest in Arab talent, while also leading Reservoir’s strategy in emerging markets including India and Africa.
He serves on the Board of CARAS (The Juno Awards) and MusicCounts, and has been featured in Billboard’s International Power Players list since 2021, sharing the #1 Publishing spot in Canada in 2024. Spek has been profiled in Variety, Synchtank, and A&R Magazine, and contributed to Music Business Worldwide, where he was highlighted in the 2024 World Leaders Series.
