Dubai Café Music Licence 2026 — Background Music, EMRA, Music Nation, UAE Music Licensing Fees, Spotify, YouTube, AI-Generated Music, Commercial Music & What Café Owners Need to Know
Last updated: 26 August 2026
If you own or operate a café in Dubai and play music for customers, one question is becoming increasingly important:
Do I need a music licence to play background music in my café?
The short answer is:
Yes — you should review your commercial music licensing requirements.
The UAE has introduced a nationwide framework for collective management of music rights. Restaurants and cafés are specifically included.
The UAE Ministry of Economy & Tourism launched the Collective Management in Music Guide on 11 August 2026, under Ministerial Resolution No. 136 of 2026.
The Ministry says the applicable fees will begin being collected from:
December 2026
This guide explains what that means for a Dubai café in simple language. (moet.gov.ae)
The Quick Answer for Dubai Café Owners
If your café plays music for:
Customers
Staff
Background ambience
Dining atmosphere
Events
DJs
Live performances
you should identify:
What music you are playing
Where the music comes from
What rights you have
What type of music use you have
Which UAE licensing arrangement applies
The current UAE framework specifically includes restaurants and cafés.
The reported annual tariff for recorded background music starts at:
AED 1,500 per year
for cafés/restaurants with up to 50 seats.
The exact applicable tariff depends on the business category and music use and should be confirmed against the applicable official framework and licensing arrangement. (khaleejtimes.com)
Does a Dubai Café Need a Music Licence?
If your café commercially plays music, you should assume that the music-rights question applies.
The Ministry's 2026 framework explicitly includes:
Restaurants
Cafés
Hotels
Fitness centres
Shopping malls
Airlines
Radio stations
Television channels
Concerts and similar events. (moet.gov.ae)
EMRA's current licensing material also specifically identifies restaurants and cafés as commercial music users.
Its licensing process asks businesses about:
Background music
Streaming services
Live music
DJs
Number of music areas
Average daily hours. (emra.maximastaging.com)
So a café should not assume:
"It's only background music, so I don't need to worry about licensing."
What Is a Café Background Music Licence?
A background music licence is essentially permission to use music commercially under the applicable rights and licensing conditions.
For a Dubai café, background music could mean:
Instrumental music
Lounge music
Pop music
Jazz
Arabic music
International music
AI-generated music
Music from a commercial provider
played through:
Ceiling speakers
Amplifiers
TVs
Computers
Tablets
A sound system
Other playback equipment.
The fact that the music is "in the background" does not automatically make it outside the commercial music-rights framework.
Why Does a Café Need to Think About Music Rights?
Because music is intellectual property.
A song can involve several rights.
For example:
Composer
May have rights in the musical composition.
Songwriter / lyricist
May have rights in the lyrics.
Publisher
May administer the underlying musical work.
Singer / performer
May have related rights.
Musician
May have performer rights.
Sound-recording producer
May have rights in the recording.
When your café plays a recording for customers, the important question is therefore not simply:
"Did I pay for the song?"
It is:
"Do I have the appropriate rights to use this music commercially in my café?"
What Is the New UAE Music Licensing Framework?
The Ministry of Economy & Tourism has introduced the:
Collective Management in Music Guide
under:
Ministerial Resolution No. 136 of 2026
The Ministry says the Guide establishes fees and licensing arrangements for relevant commercial music use.
Collection begins:
December 2026
The framework is nationwide, so it applies to Dubai as part of the UAE. (moet.gov.ae)
Is This a Dubai Municipality Licence?
No.
This is an important distinction.
The new music-rights framework comes from the:
UAE Ministry of Economy & Tourism
It is not simply another Dubai trade or municipality permit.
Your café may have various existing licences and approvals for operating the business.
Music rights are a separate issue.
Think of it as:
Dubai café business licence
Food/restaurant approvals
Music-rights licensing where applicable
These are different matters.
Who Manages the Music Licensing?
The Ministry identifies two authorised collective-management organisations:
EMRA
Emirates Music Rights Association
and:
Music Nation
The Ministry says these organisations will be responsible for collecting applicable fees and managing relevant rights under the new framework. (moet.gov.ae)
Is EMRA a Government Department?
No.
EMRA is an authorised collective-management organisation.
The:
UAE Ministry of Economy & Tourism
is the government authority overseeing the framework.
EMRA operates within that regulatory framework.
Is Music Nation a Government Department?
No.
Music Nation is also an authorised collective-management organisation.
The Ministry granted Music Nation its collective music-management licence in 2025. (khaleejtimes.com)
Do I Have to Pay Both EMRA and Music Nation?
Do not automatically assume that you must pay both.
This is one of the areas where café owners should be careful.
The relevant:
Music
Rights
Repertoire
Mandate
Representation
Licensing arrangement
matter.
The Ministry identifies both organisations within the collective-management framework, but a business should establish which licensing arrangement applies to the music it actually uses.
Do not simply assume:
"I need two separate licences for every song."
How Much Does a Dubai Café Music Licence Cost?
For recorded background music, the currently reported annual tariff is:
| Café / Restaurant seating | Reported annual fee |
|---|---|
| 1–50 seats | AED 1,500 |
| 51–100 seats | AED 2,700 |
| 101–200 seats | AED 4,800 |
| 201+ seats | AED 4,800 + AED 20 per additional seat |
| Reported maximum | AED 6,000 |
A higher tariff applies to restaurants/cafés with DJs and entertainment. The reported rates begin at AED 2,500 for up to 50 seats and rise through the applicable categories, with a reported maximum of AED 8,000. (khaleejtimes.com)
Important
These are reported 2026 tariff figures from the published schedule as reported by UAE media.
Before making payment or quoting a final amount to a customer, confirm the applicable tariff and licensing process with the authorised organisation.
Example: 40-Seat Dubai Café
Imagine you operate a:
40-seat café in Dubai
and play:
Recorded background music
The reported annual tariff is:
AED 1,500
That works out to approximately:
AED 125 per month
when viewed purely as an annual budget.
But this is only a budgeting illustration.
The café should confirm the exact applicable licence, tariff and repertoire/rights arrangement.
Example: 80-Seat Dubai Café
An 80-seat café falls into the reported:
51–100 seat category
Reported annual fee:
AED 2,700
Again, confirm the final applicable tariff with the relevant licensing organisation.
Example: 150-Seat Dubai Café
A 150-seat café falls into the reported:
101–200 seat category
Reported annual fee:
AED 4,800
What If My Café Has More Than 200 Seats?
The reported tariff is:
AED 4,800
plus:
AED 20 per additional seat
subject to a reported annual maximum of:
AED 6,000
What If My Café Has a DJ?
This is important.
A café with ordinary recorded background music is not necessarily treated the same way as a venue with:
DJ
Entertainment
Nightlife
Live events.
The reported DJ/entertainment tariff is higher.
For up to 50 seats, the reported annual fee is:
AED 2,500
rather than AED 1,500.
The reported maximum for this category is:
AED 8,000/year. (khaleejtimes.com)
What If My Café Has Live Music?
Live music should be considered separately from ordinary background music.
For example:
Singer
Acoustic guitarist
Pianist
Band
Violinist
The applicable rights can involve different considerations.
EMRA's current pre-application specifically asks:
Whether the outlet has live music
Number of music areas
Average daily hours
Frequency of live events. (emraorg.ae)
Therefore, tell the licensing organisation about live performances rather than assuming that your background-music licence covers everything.
What If I Only Play Music Quietly?
Volume is not the key issue.
A café can play music quietly and still be using music commercially.
The important questions are:
What music?
Where did it come from?
What rights do you have?
How are you using it?
What licence applies?
What If I Only Play Instrumental Music?
Instrumental music can still be protected.
The absence of lyrics does not automatically mean there are no rights.
An instrumental recording may involve:
Composition rights
Recording rights
Performer rights.
Can I Play Spotify in My Dubai Café?
Do not assume that a normal Spotify subscription is enough.
Spotify provides access to music through its platform.
That is different from establishing all necessary rights for commercial public use.
EMRA's current licensing application specifically asks businesses whether they use streaming services such as:
Spotify
YouTube
SoundCloud. (emraorg.ae)
So a café using Spotify should not simply assume:
"I have Spotify Premium, therefore I am licensed."
Is Spotify Premium a Commercial Music Licence?
Not automatically.
A café should distinguish between:
Streaming subscription
and:
Commercial music rights.
Your subscription may give you access to the platform.
It does not automatically answer every question about public commercial use in your café.
Review the applicable platform terms and UAE music-rights requirements.
Can I Play YouTube in My Café?
You can technically play content through YouTube, but:
YouTube access does not automatically mean that your café has every necessary commercial music right.
The same distinction applies:
Access to content
≠
Commercial public-use rights
Can I Play SoundCloud?
Again, do not assume that access to SoundCloud automatically gives a café all necessary commercial music rights.
EMRA specifically asks businesses to disclose use of SoundCloud and other streaming services. (emraorg.ae)
Can I Play Music From My Phone?
The device does not matter.
Whether the music is played from:
Phone
Laptop
Tablet
USB
Computer
Streaming device
the underlying rights question remains.
The licensing question concerns the music and its use, not the device.
Can I Play Music From a USB Drive?
Again:
The fact that you possess the audio file does not automatically mean that you own or have all commercial public-use rights in it.
You should establish the source and licence.
What If I Download the Music?
Downloading a recording does not automatically transfer copyright or commercial public-performance rights.
You need to understand:
Who supplied it?
What licence was granted?
Was commercial use permitted?
Is public performance permitted?
Does the licence cover your café?
What About Royalty-Free Music?
This is one of the most important misunderstandings.
Royalty-free does not necessarily mean licence-free.
You may still need a licence.
A royalty-free licence may simply mean that you do not pay a recurring royalty for every use.
Check whether it permits:
Commercial use
Public performance
Café use
UAE use
Multiple branches
Events
Duration.
What About "Copyright-Free" Music?
Be careful.
"Copyright-free" is often used loosely online.
Music can instead be:
Public domain
Creative Commons
Royalty-free
Independently licensed
Copyright-protected
Directly licensed
These are different concepts.
Can I Use AI-Generated Music in My Café?
This is an increasingly relevant question.
AI can generate:
Instrumental tracks
Ambient music
Jazz
Lounge music
Electronic music
Café playlists
Custom brand music.
But:
AI-generated does not automatically mean licence-free.
Before using AI music commercially, ask:
Which AI platform generated it?
Which subscription plan was used?
Did the plan permit commercial use?
What do the platform's terms say?
Who controls the output?
Was any third-party material involved?
Can the provenance be documented?
At present, there is no identified UAE government blanket statement saying:
"All AI-generated music is exempt from collective-management fees."
Therefore, do not build your compliance strategy around that assumption.
What If I Create My Own Music?
If you genuinely own and control all relevant rights, the position may be different.
But document it.
For each track, establish:
Composer
Creator
Recording owner
Performer rights
Third-party contributions
Commercial licence
Ownership/provenance.
Simply saying:
"I made this"
is not the same as having a complete rights record.
What If I Buy Music From a Commercial Music Provider?
This can be a useful solution.
But don't just ask:
"Is it royalty-free?"
Ask:
Who owns the music?
Who controls the catalogue?
What rights are included?
Is commercial public use permitted?
Does it cover UAE?
Does it cover all my branches?
Does it include third-party repertoire?
What documentation do I receive?
What About VENUORA?
VENUORA is being developed specifically as a:
Commercial Background-Music Service for UAE Businesses
The model is built around:
Curated catalogue
Documented provenance
Commercial licence
Business use
For eligible VENUORA catalogue music, VENUORA grants the customer the rights expressly provided in its commercial licence.
Can a Dubai Café Use VENUORA Music?
Yes, for eligible VENUORA catalogue music and subject to the VENUORA commercial licence terms.
The café receives a defined licence for the VENUORA catalogue covered by its plan.
This is different from simply opening a consumer music-streaming account.
Does VENUORA Replace EMRA or Music Nation?
VENUORA does not make that blanket claim.
This is extremely important.
A VENUORA licence covers:
Eligible VENUORA catalogue music.
If your café also plays:
Spotify
YouTube
Commercial recordings
Radio
DJ music
Live music
Other music-provider catalogues
those uses need to be considered separately.
The café remains responsible for complying with applicable UAE requirements.
Why Would a Café Use a Controlled Music Catalogue?
A café owner may want:
Less uncertainty
Know what catalogue is being played.
Better documentation
Keep a licence and catalogue record.
Commercial focus
Music selected for business environments.
Consistency
No staff member accidentally playing random YouTube videos.
Simplicity
One business-focused music service.
What Should a Dubai Café Keep on File?
Create a simple:
Café Music Rights File
Include:
Business information
Trade licence
Business name
Dubai location
Branches
Music information
Music provider
Catalogue
Playlist
Sources
Rights information
Commercial licence
Agreement
Usage rights
Public-use permissions
Payment information
Invoice
Receipt
Annual licence
Renewal date
Usage information
Background music
Streaming
DJ
Live music
Events
Number of music areas
Hours per day
This can make future compliance much easier.
What Information Will EMRA Ask My Café?
EMRA's current pre-application provides a useful indication.
It asks about:
Background music
Whether the café plays background music
Number of music areas
Average daily hours
Streaming
Whether Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud or similar services are used
Number of music areas
Average daily hours
Live music
Whether live music is played
Number of areas
Average daily hours
Frequency
DJs/events
Whether DJs are used
Number of areas
Average daily hours
Frequency
Show timings. (emraorg.ae)
Dubai Café Music Licence — What Should You Prepare?
Before contacting the relevant licensing organisation, prepare:
1. Café name
2. Trade licence
3. Dubai location
4. Number of seats
5. Number of music areas
6. Average daily music hours
7. Music source
8. Streaming platforms
9. DJ information
10. Live music information
11. Existing music agreements
This will make the licensing conversation much easier.
What If My Café Has Several Branches?
Do not assume one licence automatically covers every branch.
Prepare a branch list:
| Branch | Emirate | Seats | Music? | Music areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Marina | Dubai | 80 | Yes | 1 |
| Downtown | Dubai | 120 | Yes | 2 |
| Jumeirah | Dubai | 50 | Yes | 1 |
The licensing organisation can then determine the appropriate arrangement.
What If My Café Is Inside a Hotel?
Do not automatically assume the hotel's music arrangement covers your café.
There can be different:
Premises
Operators
Music areas
Licences
Commercial uses.
Confirm the actual arrangement.
What If My Café Is Inside a Shopping Mall?
Similarly, don't automatically assume:
"The mall has a music licence, so my café doesn't need to consider music licensing."
There can be a difference between:
Music in the mall common areas
and:
Music played inside your café.
Clarify the arrangement.
What If I Have One Speaker?
The number of speakers is not the same thing as the number of rights.
One speaker can still play copyrighted music.
The relevant questions concern the music and its use.
What If I Play Music Only During Busy Hours?
The current EMRA pre-application asks about average daily hours of music use.
Therefore, be accurate about your actual use rather than assuming that part-time music automatically means no licence.
What If I Only Play Music for Staff?
The exact circumstances matter.
EMRA's licensing information describes commercial/public music use broadly and includes music played for customers or staff in business environments. (emra.maximastaging.com)
If music is part of the business environment, it is sensible to establish the applicable rights position.
What If Customers Don't Care About the Music?
That doesn't automatically remove the rights issue.
The music can still form part of the environment in which the café operates.
What If Music Is Not a Revenue Stream?
A café doesn't have to charge separately for music for music rights to become relevant.
The café may be earning revenue from:
Coffee
Food
Desserts
Shisha where applicable
Other products
while music contributes to the customer environment.
Is Background Music a Copyright Issue?
It can be.
The Ministry specifically says music use in restaurants, cafés and other covered establishments involves copyright and neighbouring rights. (moet.gov.ae)
What Are Neighbouring Rights?
In simple language, these are rights connected with certain uses of:
Performances
Sound recordings
Performers
Producers.
So a café's music-use question can involve more than the songwriter alone.
Is Every Song Covered by EMRA?
Do not assume that.
Collective-management organisations operate according to:
Rights
Repertoire
Mandates
Representation agreements.
The business should determine which organisation administers the relevant rights for the music being used.
Is Every Song Covered by Music Nation?
Again, do not assume that every piece of music is represented identically by every collective-management organisation.
The relevant repertoire and rights matter.
Does My Music Need Both Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Licensing?
The actual rights involved depend on the music and use.
A recording can involve:
Underlying composition
and:
Sound recording / performance rights.
This is one reason professional licensing matters.
Is the Dubai Music Licence the Same as a UAE Music Licence?
The framework is national.
There is not a separate Dubai-only collective music licensing law replacing the federal framework.
A Dubai café is part of the UAE-wide system.
What Happens From December 2026?
The Ministry says applicable fees begin being collected from:
December 2026
The reported restaurant/café background-music tariff begins at:
AED 1,500/year
and increases according to seating capacity.
A higher tariff applies to cafés/restaurants with DJs and entertainment.
Licences are reported as annual and renewable. (moet.gov.ae)
Should a Dubai Café Wait Until December?
No.
December is the start of the new fee-collection regime.
It should not be the start of your preparation.
Use the time before December to:
Audit your music.
Identify your sources.
Check your rights.
Review your subscriptions.
Review existing licences.
Identify DJs/live entertainment.
Organise your documentation.
Understand your applicable tariff.
A 30-Minute Dubai Café Music Audit
You can do this today.
Step 1
Walk through your café.
Where is music playing?
Step 2
Write down every source.
Spotify?
YouTube?
Radio?
USB?
Laptop?
Music provider?
AI?
DJ?
Step 3
Check your rights.
Do you have commercial-use permission?
Step 4
Count your music areas.
One?
Two?
Five?
Step 5
Estimate average daily hours.
Step 6
Record your seating capacity.
Step 7
Record any DJs/live events.
Step 8
Keep all music agreements in one folder.
You have now created your basic Dubai café music licensing file.
Dubai Café Music Licence — Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: "Spotify Premium is enough."
Not necessarily.
Mistake 2: "It's only background music."
Background music can still be commercial music use.
Mistake 3: "Royalty-free means free."
Not necessarily.
Mistake 4: "AI music has no rights."
Do not assume this.
Mistake 5: "The mall has a licence."
Don't assume that covers your internal café music.
Mistake 6: "The hotel has a licence."
Don't assume it covers every separate music use.
Mistake 7: "We only play music for a few hours."
Hours can still be relevant.
Mistake 8: "It's a small café."
Small businesses can still fall within the covered category.
Mistake 9: "We can deal with it in December."
You can prepare now.
Mistake 10: "Any music provider saying 'royalty-free' must be safe."
Ask for the actual licence.
A Better Approach for Dubai Cafés
Instead of asking:
"How can I avoid paying for music?"
ask:
"How can I make sure the music in my café is properly licensed, documented and easy to manage?"
That is the more professional approach.
VENUORA's Approach
VENUORA is designed around that philosophy.
Commercial music should be simple.
You should know:
What you're playing.
Where it came from.
What rights are controlled.
What your licence allows.
How long your licence lasts.
For eligible VENUORA catalogue music, we provide a defined commercial licence.
VENUORA for Dubai Cafés
A VENUORA café plan can be positioned around:
Curated background music
Music selected for café environments.
Commercial licensing
A defined business-use licence.
Documented catalogue
Know which music is covered.
Provenance
Maintain evidence about the music's origin and rights chain.
Simple business use
Designed for customer-facing environments.
Does VENUORA Mean My Café Doesn't Need EMRA or Music Nation?
We do not claim that.
This is important.
VENUORA provides a commercial licence for eligible VENUORA catalogue music.
If your café plays other music, that music must be considered separately.
Your overall music-rights position should be determined according to the applicable UAE framework.
Why VENUORA Can Still Be Valuable
Even in a formal licensing environment, a business can benefit from knowing exactly what it is playing.
Imagine two cafés.
Café A
Staff use a personal Spotify account.
Different employees play different playlists.
YouTube videos are sometimes used.
Nobody knows exactly what music is playing.
No central licence file exists.
Café B
Uses a controlled commercial catalogue.
The music source is known.
The catalogue is documented.
The commercial licence is stored.
The business knows which music is covered.
Which café has the cleaner music-management process?
The answer is obvious.
What Does "Commercial Background Music" Mean?
It means music selected and licensed for use in a business environment.
Examples:
Café music
Restaurant music
Hotel music
Retail music
Gym music
Spa music
Salon music.
The purpose is not necessarily to sell the music.
The music supports the customer experience.
Dubai Café Music Licensing — Frequently Asked Questions
Do cafés in Dubai need a music licence?
Cafés are specifically included in the UAE's 2026 Collective Management in Music framework. A café that commercially plays music should review its applicable licensing requirements.
When do music fees start?
The Ministry says collection begins in December 2026.
How much does a Dubai café music licence cost?
Reported recorded-background-music tariffs start at AED 1,500/year for cafés/restaurants with up to 50 seats.
What if my café has 80 seats?
The reported annual tariff is AED 2,700.
What if my café has 150 seats?
The reported annual tariff is AED 4,800.
What if my café has more than 200 seats?
The reported calculation is AED 4,800 plus AED 20 per additional seat, subject to a reported AED 6,000 annual maximum.
What if I have a DJ?
A higher reported tariff applies to cafés/restaurants with DJs and entertainment.
What if I have live music?
Tell the licensing organisation. Live performance is separately identified in the current EMRA application process.
Can I use Spotify?
You can access Spotify according to its terms, but do not assume a normal consumer subscription is automatically a UAE commercial music licence.
Can I use YouTube?
Do not assume that YouTube access automatically provides all commercial music rights.
Can I use SoundCloud?
Do not assume that platform access automatically resolves commercial licensing.
Can I use royalty-free music?
Possibly, but check the actual licence.
Can I use AI-generated music?
Potentially, depending on the rights and licence terms. There is no blanket UAE government exemption identified for all AI-generated music.
Can I use my own music?
Potentially, if you genuinely control the relevant rights and can document them.
Can I use VENUORA?
Yes, for eligible VENUORA catalogue music under the VENUORA commercial licence.
Does VENUORA replace EMRA or Music Nation?
VENUORA does not make that blanket claim.
Do I have to pay both EMRA and Music Nation?
Do not assume that every business or every song requires two separate payments. The relevant rights, repertoire and licensing arrangements matter.
Is the Dubai music licence separate from the UAE music framework?
The collective-management framework is UAE-wide.
Dubai Café Music Licence Checklist
Before December 2026:
Business
☐ Café trade licence
☐ Dubai location
☐ Number of seats
☐ Number of branches
Music
☐ Background music
☐ Streaming
☐ Live music
☐ DJ
☐ Events
Sources
☐ Spotify
☐ YouTube
☐ SoundCloud
☐ Radio
☐ Music provider
☐ AI-generated
☐ Other
Rights
☐ Commercial-use permission
☐ Licence agreement
☐ Catalogue information
☐ Payment records
☐ Renewal date
UAE
☐ Applicable tariff identified
☐ Relevant licensing organisation identified
☐ Documentation retained
Final Advice for Dubai Café Owners
If you operate a café in Dubai and play music, don't wait for someone to ask:
"Where is your music licence?"
Start by asking yourself:
What music are we playing?
Where does it come from?
Who controls the rights?
What commercial permission do we have?
What UAE licensing arrangement applies?
Once you can answer those five questions, your business is in a much better position.
The Bottom Line
For a Dubai café, the UAE's new music licensing framework means that commercial background music should be taken seriously as a rights and licensing issue.
The UAE Ministry's Collective Management in Music Guide, issued under Ministerial Resolution No. 136 of 2026, specifically includes cafés and restaurants.
Applicable fees begin:
December 2026
The reported recorded-background-music tariff begins at:
AED 1,500/year
for cafés/restaurants with up to 50 seats.
The reported tariff increases with seating capacity, while cafés with DJs and entertainment fall into a higher tariff structure. (moet.gov.ae)
The Ministry identifies:
EMRA + Music Nation
as the two authorised organisations responsible for collecting applicable fees and managing relevant rights under the framework. (moet.gov.ae)
So, if you own a café in Dubai:
Don't panic.
Don't ignore it.
Don't assume Spotify solves it.
Don't assume "royalty-free" solves it.
Don't assume AI music is automatically exempt.
Instead:
Know your music.
Know your rights.
Know your licence.
Prepare before December 2026.
And if you are looking for a controlled commercial background-music solution:
VENUORA
Commercial Background Music for UAE Businesses
Curated catalogue + documented provenance + commercial licence.
Important Licensing Disclaimer
This page is provided for general educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
UAE copyright law, neighbouring-rights law, Ministerial Resolution No. 136 of 2026, the Collective Management in Music Guide, applicable tariffs, exemptions, repertoire and licensing arrangements should be reviewed in their current official form.
The precise licensing position of a Dubai café depends on the music being used, rights associated with that music, source, repertoire, method of use, business circumstances and applicable UAE requirements.
The AED tariff figures on this page are reported 2026 tariff figures and should be confirmed with the relevant authorised organisation before relying on them for payment or compliance.
No blanket exemption is claimed here for Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud, royalty-free music, independently licensed music, AI-generated music or VENUORA music.
VENUORA does not claim that purchasing a VENUORA licence automatically replaces or exempts a café from EMRA, Music Nation or any other applicable UAE music-rights requirement.
A VENUORA licence applies to eligible VENUORA catalogue music and the rights expressly granted under the VENUORA commercial licence.
Official Sources
UAE Ministry of Economy & Tourism — Collective Management in Music Guide
The Ministry's official announcement confirms the new UAE framework, Ministerial Resolution No. 136 of 2026, cafés and restaurants as covered categories, December 2026 commencement, EMRA and Music Nation's roles, exemptions and annual licensing. (moet.gov.ae)
UAE Ministry of Economy & Tourism — Collective Management in Music Guide
EMRA — Music Licensing
EMRA's current licensing information explains why commercial/background music use can require permission and provides a licensing pathway for businesses. (emra.maximastaging.com)
EMRA — Music User Pre-Application
The current pre-application asks businesses about background music, streaming services, live performances, DJs, music areas and average daily hours. (emraorg.ae)
EMRA — Music User Pre-Application
Khaleej Times — UAE Music Licensing Fees
Current reporting provides the detailed café/restaurant tariff figures, including the AED 1,500 starting tariff and seating-capacity structure. (khaleejtimes.com)
Khaleej Times — UAE Music Licensing Fees 2026
Related UAE Music Licensing Guides
UAE Music Licensing Guide 2026 — Complete Guide
The complete plain-English guide to UAE music licensing.
UAE Music Licensing Fees 2026
Café, restaurant, gym, hotel and retail tariffs.
Do Cafés & Restaurants Need a Music Licence in UAE?
A practical guide for UAE F&B businesses.
UAE Music Licence for Restaurants & Cafés
Restaurant and café licensing explained.
UAE Music Licence for Gyms & Fitness Centres
Fitness-centre music licensing explained.
UAE Music Licence for Hotels
Hotel music licensing explained.
UAE Music Licence for Shops & Retail Businesses
Retail music licensing explained.
EMRA Music Licence UAE Explained
Understanding EMRA and collective music-rights management.
Music Nation UAE Music Licensing Explained
Understanding Music Nation's role in UAE music licensing.
Collective Management in Music UAE Explained
How collective music-rights management works.
Ministerial Resolution No. 136 of 2026 Explained
The UAE's new collective music-management framework.
Background Music Licence UAE
A complete guide to commercial background music licensing.
One-Minute Answer for a Dubai Café Owner
If your Dubai café plays music for customers, you should review your commercial music licensing requirements. Cafés are specifically covered by the UAE's 2026 Collective Management in Music framework. Applicable fees begin in December 2026, with reported recorded-background-music tariffs starting at AED 1,500 per year for cafés/restaurants with up to 50 seats. Don't assume Spotify, YouTube, royalty-free or AI-generated music automatically solves the rights question. Identify your music, understand your rights and obtain the appropriate commercial licensing arrangement.
Last reviewed: 26 August 2026
VENUORA — Commercial Background Music for UAE Businesses
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