Music licence fees. UAE
How much is a music licence in the UAE?
From 1 December 2026, fees set by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, paid by the venue operator to a licensed collector, EMRA or Music Nation, by published tariff band. Figures in AED per year.
Updated . General information, not legal advice. Your collector confirms your band.
The tariff
The published bands
Restaurants and cafés by seats, shops and malls by floor area, gyms by total area, hotels by guest rooms. The collector confirms your band.
| Seats | Per year |
|---|---|
| 1-50 seats | AED 1,500 |
| 51-100 seats | AED 2,700 |
| 101-200 seats | AED 4,800 |
| Over 200 seats | AED 20 per additional seat |
| Annual cap | AED 6,000 |
| Seats | Per year |
|---|---|
| 1-50 seats | AED 2,500 |
| 51-100 seats | AED 3,500 |
| 101-200 seats | AED 6,500 |
| Over 200 seats | AED 20 per additional seat |
| Annual cap | AED 8,000 |
| Floor area where music plays | Per year |
|---|---|
| Up to 300 m² | AED 1,700 |
| 301-700 m² | AED 3,400 |
| Each additional 25 m² | AED 60 |
| Annual cap | AED 20,000 |
| Floor area where music plays | Per year |
|---|---|
| First 100 m² | AED 625 |
| Each additional 25 m² | AED 50 |
| Annual cap | AED 50,000 |
| Total area | Per year |
|---|---|
| Up to 300 m² | AED 1,700 |
| 301 m² and above | AED 5 per additional m² |
| Annual cap | AED 6,000 |
| Rooms | Per year |
|---|---|
| Up to 50 rooms | AED 50 per room |
| 50-100 rooms | AED 5,000 |
| Over 100 rooms | AED 8,000 |
| Rooms | Per year |
|---|---|
| Up to 50 rooms | AED 120 per room |
| 50-100 rooms | AED 12,000 |
| Over 100 rooms | AED 18,000 |
| Rooms | Per year |
|---|---|
| Up to 50 rooms | AED 150 per room |
| 50-100 rooms | AED 15,000 |
| 100-200 rooms | AED 18,000 |
| Over 200 rooms | AED 25,000 |
| Annual cap | AED 25,000 |
Guest rooms only: restaurants, halls, shops and leisure facilities inside a hotel each pay under their own category. The cap is printed beneath the hotel tables in the Ministry's guide; the collector confirms how it applies to your property.
Figures as published by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism in its Guide to Collective Management in Music, version 1.1, adopted by Ministerial Resolution 136 of 2026, announced 11 August 2026. Public performance fees are set by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism and are paid by the venue operator to a licensed collector. The fee for each location follows the published tariff band for its category, determined by the operator's own seat count or floor area and confirmed by the collector. Cloud Pulse never bills or remits these fees.
Who does not pay
Exemptions
- Educational and academic institutions
- Government entities
- Uses within national occasions
- Personal celebrations of a non-commercial nature
And any other use or category the Ministry exempts by decision.
Where Cloud Pulse stands
Your part, our part
Your part
- You hold the licence, in your own name.
- You choose a licensed collector: EMRA or Music Nation.
- You pay the fee for your band to the collector.
Our part
- We supply the music for business use.
- We help you through the process, at no extra charge.
- We never bill or collect performance fees.
Our music library is supplied for business use, with library licensing handled in coordination with EMRA, the Emirates Music Rights Association. Public performance rights are the responsibility of the venue operator under UAE law and are held in the operator's own name. Cloud Pulse assists the venue in meeting its public performance obligations; this coordination and compliance assistance is included in the subscription at no additional charge. Cloud Pulse is not a collecting society and never bills or remits public performance fees.
Questions
What venues ask
How much is a music licence for a restaurant or café in the UAE?
By seats, per year: AED 1,500 for 1-50 seats, AED 2,700 for 51-100 seats, AED 4,800 for 101-200 seats, then AED 20 per additional seat, capped at AED 6,000. A separate, higher schedule applies with a DJ or intensive music use. The collector confirms your band.
How much is a music licence for a shop?
By the floor area where music plays, per year: AED 1,700 up to 300 m², AED 3,400 for 301-700 m², then AED 60 for each additional 25 m², capped at AED 20,000. Major shopping malls have their own schedule. The collector confirms your band.
How much is a music licence for a gym?
By total area, per year: AED 1,700 up to 300 m², then AED 5 per additional m², capped at AED 6,000. The collector confirms your band.
How much is a music licence for a hotel?
By guest rooms and star class, per year, from AED 50 per room at 1 and 2 star to AED 25,000 for a 4 or 5 star hotel with over 200 rooms. Outlets inside the hotel pay under their own category. The collector confirms your band.
Who sets the fees and who collects them?
Public performance fees are set by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism and are paid by the venue operator to a licensed collector. The fee for each location follows the published tariff band for its category, determined by the operator's own seat count or floor area and confirmed by the collector. Cloud Pulse never bills or remits these fees.
Is the fee per location?
Yes. The fee for each location follows the published tariff band for its category, determined by the operator's own seat count or floor area and confirmed by the collector.
Does Cloud Pulse charge for helping with the licence?
No. Our music library is supplied for business use, with library licensing handled in coordination with EMRA, the Emirates Music Rights Association. Public performance rights are the responsibility of the venue operator under UAE law and are held in the operator's own name. Cloud Pulse assists the venue in meeting its public performance obligations; this coordination and compliance assistance is included in the subscription at no additional charge. Cloud Pulse is not a collecting society and never bills or remits public performance fees.
Who does not pay?
The exemptions the Ministry lists are educational and academic institutions, government entities, uses within national occasions, personal celebrations of a non-commercial nature, and any other use the Ministry exempts by decision.
Sources
Where this comes from
- Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Guide to Collective Management in Music, version 1.1, June 2026, adopted by Ministerial Resolution 136 of 2026, in force 1 December 2026. Figures from the tariff matrix in that guide. The Ministry's announcement of 11 August 2026.
- Every Cloud Pulse statement on this page is the wording used in Cloud Pulse's own client documents, unchanged or shortened without addition.
Contact
Ready for 1 December?
We supply the music for business use and help you through the process, at no extra charge.
- WhatsApp+971 58 554 6277
- Emailinfo@cloud-pulse.com
- CompanyCloud Pulse LLC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Serving the UAE and Saudi Arabia.