UAE Music Licensing Rules: Businesses Face Annual Fees From December 2026

Businesses across the UAE that play copyrighted music as part of their commercial activities will have to obtain an annual music license from December 1, 2026, under a new framework introduced by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism.

The new rules cover restaurants, cafés, hotels, shopping centres, retail businesses, fitness centres, airlines, radio stations, television channels and other commercial uses of music.

The framework comes under the ministry’s Collective Management in Music Guide, issued through Ministerial Resolution No. 136 of 2026. The licence will be valid for one year and renewable under the applicable rules.

UAE music licensing fees will depend on business size and music use

The new UAE music licensing fees are not the same for every business. The amount depends mainly on the type and size of the establishment, while venues offering DJs and entertainment will face higher charges.

For restaurants and cafés, the annual fee starts at Dh1,500 for venues with up to 50 seats.

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism fee structure:

Restaurants and cafés with up to 50 seats will pay Dh1,500 annually for a music licence. Businesses with 51 to 100 seats will pay Dh2,700, while those with 101 to 200 seats will pay Dh4,800. For venues with more than 200 seats, the charge is Dh20 for each additional seat, with the annual fee capped at Dh6,000.

Restaurants and cafés that use DJs or provide entertainment will pay higher fees. Venues with up to 50 seats will pay Dh2,500, those with 51 to 100 seats will pay Dh3,500, and venues with 101 to 200 seats will pay Dh6,500. For venues above 200 seats, the rate is Dh20 per additional seat, capped at Dh8,000 annually.

UAE Music Licence Fees for Shops and Commercial Premises

Shops and commercial complexes measuring up to 300 square metres will pay Dh1,700 per year. Premises between 301 and 700 square metres will pay Dh3,400.

For larger commercial premises, the fee is Dh60 for every additional 25 square metres, with a maximum annual charge of Dh20,000.

For common areas in shopping centers, fees start at Dh625, with the total annual charge capped at Dh50,000.

Music Licensing Fees for UAE Fitness Centers

Fitness centers with an area of up to 300 square meters will pay Dh1,700 annually. Larger facilities will pay Dh5 for every additional square meter, subject to a maximum annual fee of Dh6,000.

UAE Hotel Music Licensing Fees

Hotels and floating hotels will be charged according to their classification and number of rooms. The fee ranges from Dh50 to Dh150 per room, depending on the hotel’s classification.

Music License Fees for UAE Radio and TV Stations

Radio stations will pay between 1% and 3% of their annual income, depending on the type of programming, with a minimum annual fee of Dh1,700.

Television channels will pay between 0.25% and 1% of annual income, also subject to a minimum annual fee of Dh1,700.

UAE Music Licensing Fees for Airlines

Airlines that provide integrated entertainment services will be charged based on the number of seats covered by the service. The annual license fee can reach Dh45,000.

The figures were reported from the ministry’s tariff framework and detailed by Gulf News and Khaleej Times.

Restaurants and cafés will pay more for DJ and entertainment music

For many small businesses, the starting UAE music licensing fee is relatively straightforward.

A café or restaurant with up to 50 seats will pay Dh1,500 annually when using protected music. A venue with 51 to 100 seats will pay Dh2,700, while one with 101 to 200 seats will pay Dh4,800.

The rate changes where the business provides DJ services, entertainment or operates as an entertainment or nightclub-style venue.

Those businesses will pay Dh2,500 for up to 50 seats, Dh3,500 for 51 to 100 seats and Dh6,500 for 101 to 200 seats.

For venues above 200 seats, Dh20 is charged for each additional seat, with the annual fee capped at Dh8,000.

UAE music licensing rules will also cover shops, malls and gyms

Retail businesses will be charged according to floor space rather than the number of customers they can accommodate.

A shop or commercial complex measuring up to 300 square metres will pay Dh1,700 per year. Premises between 301 and 700 square metres will pay Dh3,400.

For larger premises, the charge is Dh60 for every additional 25 square metres, subject to a maximum annual fee of Dh20,000.

Shopping centres have a separate tariff. The charge starts at Dh625 for the first 100 square metres of common areas, followed by Dh50 for every additional 25 square metres. The annual maximum is Dh50,000.

Fitness centres will pay Dh1,700 for premises of up to 300 square metres. Above that size, the charge is Dh5 for each additional square metre, with the total annual fee capped at Dh6,000.

Hotel music licensing fees will depend on room numbers and classification

Hotels and floating hotels will also fall under the new UAE music licensing rules.

The tariff is based on the hotel’s classification and number of rooms. Rates start at Dh50 per room for one- and two-star hotels and rise to Dh150 per room for four- and five-star properties.

The highest category has an annual ceiling of Dh25,000.

This means a larger hotel cannot simply multiply the per-room rate indefinitely. The tariff includes an annual maximum.

Radio and TV stations will pay a percentage of income

The framework also covers broadcasters.

General-programming radio stations will pay 1% of annual income, while music-focused radio stations will pay 3%.

For television, general-programming channels will pay 1% of annual income, while news channels will pay 0.25%.

Both radio and television stations will have a minimum annual fee of Dh1,700.

Airlines providing integrated entertainment services will also be covered. Their charges are based on the number of seats covered by the service, with annual fees reaching as much as Dh45,000.

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Why UAE businesses need a music license

The new UAE music licensing rules are aimed at commercial use of copyrighted music.

A business playing music for customers is not necessarily covered simply because it has a personal subscription to a streaming service. A personal music subscription does not automatically give a restaurant, shop or hotel the right to publicly play copyrighted songs as part of its commercial activity.

The new system is designed to create a standard process for businesses using music while ensuring creators and other rights holders receive royalties.

The fees will be collected through two Ministry of Economy and Tourism-licensed organisations, the Emirates Music Rights Association and Music Nation.

They represent and manage rights connected to composers, songwriters, singers, musicians, producers and music publishers.

UAE music licensing fees will help fund the local music industry

The new system is not only about collecting licensing payments.

The framework creates a Cultural Support Fund for Music, with 10% of the total fees collected allocated to the fund.

The money will support music composition, production, distribution and live performances, as well as emerging artists and training programmes. It will also support efforts to promote Emirati music internationally.

The fund will be overseen by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism and managed through a joint committee involving the Ministry of Culture.

Who is exempt from the UAE music licensing rules?

Not every organisation or event will have to pay.

Educational and academic institutions, government entities, national occasions and personal celebrations or other non-commercial events are exempt under the current framework.

The ministry can also introduce additional exemptions through later decisions.

What the new UAE music licensing rules mean for businesses

For restaurants, cafés, gyms and shops, the new fees add another annual operating cost from December.

The amount, however, will depend heavily on the size of the business and how music is used. A small café playing background music faces a very different charge from a large entertainment venue using DJs.

The bigger change is that businesses will have to treat commercial music use as a licensed activity rather than simply part of their normal operations.

For the UAE’s growing hospitality, retail and entertainment sectors, the new framework puts music rights into the same business compliance conversation as other operating requirements.

The government says the wider goal is to strengthen copyright protection, make licensing clearer and build a more organised market in which musicians and other rights holders can be paid when their work is commercially used.

The new UAE music licensing fees will begin from December 1, 2026.