Music licensing in the UAE
What changes on 1 December 2026
Venues that play music to their customers need a licence from a licensed collector, held in their own name.
Updated . General information, not legal advice. Your collector confirms what applies to your venue.
The facts
What the rules say
A new framework
Ministerial Resolution 136 of 2026, in force 1 December 2026.
Two licensed collectors
EMRA and Music Nation. Licensed through either, you are compliant.
The venue operator pays
Fees set by the Ministry, paid by the venue to a collector, in its own name.
A published tariff
Shops by floor area, restaurants by seats, gyms by area, hotels by rooms. The collector confirms your band.
One year, renewable
Licences run for a year and are renewed.
A fund for music
10% of everything collected goes to a Cultural Support Fund for Music.
The tariff
How your fee is set
Restaurants and cafés
By number of seats. A separate, higher schedule applies with a DJ or intensive live music.
Shops and malls
By the floor area of the spaces where music is played.
Gyms and health clubs
By total area.
Hotels
By guest rooms only. Restaurants, halls, shops and leisure inside the hotel each pay under their own category.
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.
Exemptions
Who does not pay
- Educational and academic institutions
- Government entities
- Uses during national occasions
- Private, non-commercial celebrations
And any other use the Ministry exempts by decision.
Who collects
The two licensed collectors
Both hold the Ministry's permit for collective management of music. Licensed through either, you are compliant.
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.
Ready for 1 December
Three steps
Pick a collector
EMRA or Music Nation, both permitted by the Ministry. Licensed through either, you are compliant.
Find your band
Shops by floor area, restaurants by seats, gyms by area, hotels by rooms. The collector confirms your band.
Bring us in
We supply the music for business use and help you through the process, at no extra charge.
Questions
What venues ask
When does it start?
Ministerial Resolution 136 of 2026 is in force from 1 December 2026. The Ministry announced that fees are collected from December 2026.
Who do I get the licence from?
From EMRA, the Emirates Music Rights Association, or Music Nation. Both are permitted by the Ministry.
Do I need both?
No. Licensed through either collector, you are compliant.
Who pays?
The venue operator, to a licensed collector, in its own name. The Ministry sets the fees.
How long does a licence last?
One year, renewable.
Can I just use Spotify?
Personal streaming apps are for personal use, by their own terms. What Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Anghami say.
Does Cloud Pulse sell the licence?
No. Cloud Pulse is not a collecting society and never bills or remits public performance fees. We help you through the process, at no extra charge.
Is royalty free music an option?
Yes. Licensed directly from its rights holders for business use. Designed to sit outside the collective tariff; whether a fee is owed is confirmed by the licensed collector, not by Cloud Pulse. Commercial music, or royalty free.
Sources
Where this comes from
- Ministry of Economy and Tourism, launch of the Collective Management in Music Guide, 11 August 2026.
- Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Guide to Collective Management in Music, version 1.1, June 2026, adopted by Ministerial Resolution 136 of 2026.
- Federal Decree-Law 38 of 2021 on Copyright and Neighbouring Rights, and Cabinet Resolution 47 of 2022.
- EMRA licensing and Music Nation for businesses, checked 31 October 2026.