The Global Story of Karam Mokhtari: Shaping the Art and Rights of Modern Music

Most listeners form an impression before the first note begins. The artwork, the color palette and the atmosphere surrounding a project define its emotional entry point. They set expectations and influence how the music will be received. This early moment is something Karam Mokhtari understands with striking clarity.

His visuals have traveled across North Africa, Europe and the United States, appearing in campaigns that include a prominent placement in Times Square. Each project carries a deliberate intention. A release should captivate instantly, and its visual language should heighten that experience from the very first glance.

Karam’s career shows how art direction and music rights management work together to support an artist’s long term visibility. His path includes early collaborations in Morocco that helped shape the country’s modern music landscape, work on charting American releases, and a growing commitment to helping artists protect their catalogs in an evolving industry.

Born and raised in Tangier, Morocco, Karam entered the world of music design in 2012, during a pivotal moment in the country’s rapidly shifting digital landscape. Artists were creating richly expressive music, yet the visuals surrounding it often fell short of communicating its depth. The music carried intention. The presentation surrounding it frequently felt rushed and unfinished.

He began shaping a visual style inspired by classic Pop, Rock and Roll, and Soul vinyl album covers from his childhood home, adapting that timeless aesthetic into a sharper, minimalist and more intentional visual approach for Morocco’s developing contemporary music landscape. His focus on statement driven, enduring visuals emerged in 2013, when his first official cover was released for the Moroccan hip hop duo Shayfeen, with whom he continued working through the period in which they won Best Male Artist in North Africa at AFRIMA 2017.

As his work gained visibility, he became increasingly sought after by Moroccan artists who were reshaping the country’s contemporary sound, such as VAN, Aminux and the group Fnaire, each artist honored with Morocco’s Royal Order of National Merit. Karam took their evolving sound and gave it the art direction and presentation it deserved to enter and compete on a continental stage, culminating in all three acts receiving AFRIMA nominations across four categories in 2018, the premier pan African music awards. His visuals strengthened their artistic identity and helped their releases resonate far beyond Morocco, reaching audiences across the African continent and into wider international markets.

Fans began to recognize a sharper, more intentional visual presence forming around their favorite artists. The elevated presentation aligned with Morocco’s growing continental visibility, reflected in the rising number of AFRIMA nominations and recognitions Moroccan artists began receiving during this period. These years reinforced Karam’s understanding of how visual identity shapes perception and how intentional presentation can extend a release’s reach.

As Karam advanced his work in Morocco, collaborations in the United States began to emerge in 2018. These opportunities introduced him to larger creative teams, more complex campaign structures and heightened industry expectations. This marked the beginning of his chapter of crossing into the U.S. market and expanding his creative reach.

His ongoing collaboration with American R&B artist Tink became a defining part of this transition. He directed the visual identity for singles, EPs and albums that reached number one on Apple Music, secured top ranking positions across multiple Billboard charts and earned three RIAA Gold Certifications. These projects carried the precision he had cultivated throughout his early career.

His U.S. portfolio expanded with work for violinist Damien Escobar and actress singer Jackie Cruz. Escobar, a two time Emmy Award winner who has performed for four U.S. presidents, continued achieving commercial momentum. His 2024 album Gemini features the single “Taboo,” which held the number one position on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Airplay chart for 12 consecutive weeks.

Cruz, best known for her role as Flaca on the Emmy winning Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, began taking her first steps into the music industry with her debut album, for which Karam served as Art Director. He shaped the visual identity of the project, supporting a rollout that introduced her music to a wider audience. Her releases earned coverage in Billboard and Teen Vogue. Each project required a distinct visual tone, and Karam adapted accordingly while staying anchored to the principles guiding his process.

As Karam continued supporting artists over multiple years, deeper conversations about their careers revealed a pattern that was both persistent and costly. Much of their compensation had been slipping away due to works that were never registered, while existing registrations were often weakened by critical gaps, including missing metadata, inaccurate details or duplicate filings that created conflicts across royalty systems. These lapses made royalties difficult to track or match, leaving artists unaware of how much revenue was being lost to administrative inconsistencies.

This pattern gradually shifted Karam’s focus toward music rights management. His work expanded to include detailed catalog analysis, precise refinement of registrations and the correction of incomplete or missing metadata. He also resolved systemic conflicts across DSPs, PROs and CMOs, measures that strengthened the protections safeguarding artists from continued losses and restored royalties that had been frozen within royalty pipelines.

This new focus added a second dimension to his career. Art direction shaped how a release entered the world. Music rights management ensured it remained protected once audiences found it.

In 2025, Karam created 360rights.com to give independent artists and songwriters a clearer and more structured way to manage their catalogs. The goal was simple. They needed a place to review their information, correct issues and prevent the administrative errors that often interrupt royalty reporting.

Many artists and songwriters in emerging markets work without administrative support and rely on scattered spreadsheets or outdated systems to manage their catalogs. Karam designed the platform to ease that burden, offering a cleaner workspace where they could keep their information organized and reliable.

This need has become more urgent with the rise of AI systems trained on copyrighted material without consent. Artists and songwriters can only protect their work, or choose whether to license it for AI training, if their catalogs are properly registered. Clear metadata gives them leverage. Without it, third parties can pull works into training datasets without their awareness. Karam built the platform to help ensure they retain control over their catalogs and their rights.

The tool provides artists and songwriters with a straightforward way to maintain accurate catalog data as they grow, giving them the clarity and structure needed to safeguard their work and make informed decisions about how it is used in an evolving technological landscape.

Today, Karam’s work spans both art direction and music rights management, guiding the visual identity of releases while strengthening the catalogs behind them. His practice supports artists in multiple regions and at various stages of their careers. 360rights.com continues to expand as more musicians seek dependable ways to keep their rights information organized and protected.

Karam’s journey reflects sustained growth from Tangier into international markets. Each chapter demonstrates a commitment to clarity, intention and structure. In a music world that evolves quickly, his combined expertise in art direction and music rights management offers artists a stable foundation for both presentation and protection.