Playing music at an event in the UAE stops being free on 1 December 2026. That's when the fee schedule annexed to the Ministry of Economy and Tourism's Collective Management in Music Guide comes into force, with licences issued by two entities: the Emirates Music Rights Association (EMRA) and Music Nation. The annex was issued in June 2026 and the Ministry unveiled it on 11 August 2026. And for a ticketed concert, the official fee schedule carries no price at all.
Who collects music rights at an event in the UAE?
Two private entities authorised by the state, backed by a federal law. Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2021 on Copyrights and Neighbouring Rights, in force since 2 January 2022 under its Article 53, reserves to the author the authorisation of *Public Performance*, which Article 1 defines as «communicating the Work to the public by any means, whether directly or otherwise, such as acting and presentation of audio or visual Works, artistic theatrical performances, presenting and playing musical Works and reading literary Works, whether live or recorded». Live or recorded: both are covered.
The article 32 allows rightsholders to delegate this management to specialised professional associations, and article 34.1 closes the door on anyone without permission: such associations «may not perform the activities of administering copyright and neighbouring rights unless after obtaining a permit from the Ministry». The permits have already been granted. The Ministry of Economy licensed EMRA in April 2025 and Music Nation on 2 June 2025, under the same legal basis.
Not just one right, but three
A concert touches three layers of the law at once. Article 7 covers the songwriter. Article 17 gives the performer the exclusive right to communicate their unrecorded performance to the public. And Article 18.5 grants the phonogram producer «the right to broadcast and communicate Sound Recordings to the public in any manner whatsoever». A band playing its own songs triggers the first layer; a DJ spinning commercial phonograms triggers all three. The scheme isn't very different from the Dutch system of Buma/Stemra and Sena or the Spanish system of SGAE and AGEDI-AIE, with one significant difference: in the UAE, the two authorised entities jointly manage both copyright and neighbouring rights.
What exactly does the official December 2026 fee schedule say?
It sets nine categories, and none of them is a concert. The guide, in its approved version 1.1, published by EMRA, carries an issue date of June 2026 and an implementation date of December 2026. The Ministry unveiled it on 11 August 2026 as the framework setting fees for the use of music in cafés, restaurants, hotels, radio stations, television channels, shopping centres and airlines.
These are the figures in the annex, in dirhams and per year.
| Annex category | Calculation basis | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafés | 1 to 50 seats | 1,500 AED |
| Restaurants and cafés | 51 to 100 seats | 2,700 AED |
| Restaurants and cafés | 101 to 200 seats | 4,800 AED |
| Restaurants and cafés | More than 200 seats | 20 AED per seat, capped at 6,000 |
| Venues with DJs and nightlife clubs | 1 to 50 seats | 2,500 AED |
| Venues with DJs and nightlife clubs | 51 to 100 seats | 3,500 AED |
| Venues with DJs and nightlife clubs | 101 to 200 seats | 6,500 AED |
| Venues with DJs and nightlife clubs | More than 200 seats | 20 AED per seat, capped at 8,000 |
| Shops and retail complexes | Up to 300 m² | 1,700 AED |
| Large shopping centres | First 100 m² | 625 AED, capped at 50,000 |
| Gyms | Up to 300 m² | 1,700 AED, capped at 6,000 |
| 4- and 5-star hotels | Up to 50 rooms | 150 AED per room |
| 4- and 5-star hotels | More than 200 rooms | 25,000 AED, category cap |
| Music radio stations | Percentage of annual revenue | 3%, minimum 1,700 |
| General-interest TV channels | Percentage of annual revenue | 1%, minimum 1,700 |
| Airlines, premium class | More than 500 seats | 45,000 AED |
Source: annex to the Collective Management in Music Guide, version 1.1, Ministry of Economy and Tourism. One- and two-star hotels pay 50 dirhams per room up to 50 rooms and 8,000 above 100; three-star hotels pay 120 per room up to 18,000. General-interest radio stations and news television channels sit at 1% and 0.25% respectively.
Two observations on these figures, our own. First: no category is calculated on box-office takings or on an event's capacity, unlike the Dutch system, which starts from the *recette*. Second: if «an additional 20 dirhams per seat» is read literally, a venue with a DJ hits its cap of 8,000 dirhams at 400 seats, beyond which the fee stops rising. This is a reading, not a written rule: it's worth confirming with the entity before budgeting.
A hotel's function room is billed separately
This is the detail that most affects organisers in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, where a large share of corporate events and galas take place in hotels. The guide clarifies that the hotel fee is calculated by number of rooms and is limited to the use of music within the rooms themselves, while the hotel's other facilities — restaurants, function rooms and leisure spaces — are excluded, each subject to the fee for its own category.
In budgeting terms: the hotel holding its own licence for 25,000 dirhams doesn't cover the room where the band will play. That room falls under its own category, and the event under whatever contract is signed. It's worth asking the hotel for a copy of its licence and the detail of which spaces it covers before closing the venue contract.
Why isn't there a row for concerts?
Because the guide takes such activities out of the schedule and hands them over to the contract. Clause five, in closing out the categories, states that activities not classified in the document are governed by the terms of their respective contracts, «بما في ذلك — على سبيل المثال لا الحصر — الفعاليات الرياضية، والعروض المسرحية، ودور السينما»: sporting events, theatrical performances, cinemas and similar cases, by way of example.
At the same time, the annex's first footnote states that the fee «تطبق على جميع القطاعات والأنشطة ذات الصلة بحقوق المؤلف والحقوق المجاورة، بما في ذلك الحفلات الغنائية والفعاليات المشابهة»: applies to all sectors and activities related to copyright and neighbouring rights, including musical parties and similar events.
The two statements sit awkwardly together, and the organiser lives right in that crack. The concert falls within scope, but no published calculation method exists for it: no percentage of box office, no amount per attendee, no daily fee. The practical consequence is that the price comes from a bilateral negotiation, not a table. And the annex's third note confirms the mechanism: contracts and the obligations arising from them apply on their own terms, provided they don't contradict current regulations.
There is one lever working in the organiser's favour, and it's in the law itself. Article 33 of Decree-Law 38/2021 prohibits entities from discriminating between applicants, but clarifies that granting a reduced fee, with justified reasoning, is not considered discrimination in two cases. The first is stated literally: «use of Works in public events through live performance». The live-performance discount is written into the law; asking for it, then, isn't asking for a favour.
What does a concert licence cover, and who applies for it?
It's applied for by whoever operates the event. EMRA's concerts and live events page covers the use of music in «live performances, DJs, or background use» at concerts, festivals, commercial events and short-term activations, and extends both to ticketed venues — arenas, theatres, outdoor spaces — and to free events. On who's responsible, it leaves no doubt: «the event organizer, promoter, or venue operator is typically responsible for securing the appropriate license».
There's a reporting obligation worth building into the *rider* and the venue contract: «organizers may be required to submit setlists or usage reports to ensure accurate royalty distribution». The repertoire actually performed determines who the money goes to, and that distribution is the whole point of the system.
EMRA presents itself as a non-profit organisation licensed by the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Community Empowerment, backed by the Ministry of Culture, and organises its activity into four licence families: radio, television and digital; shops and services; music playback; and concerts and live events. Applications go through its licensing portal. Music Nation has operated under the same ministerial permit since June 2025.
Do you pay twice if there are two authorised entities?
It shouldn't. Clause six of the guide regulates joint collection: when more than one authorised entity is involved, a common mechanism is agreed «بحيث لا يتجاوز إجمالي التحصيل سقف التسعيرة المعتمدة من الوزارة», so that the total amount collected does not exceed the fee ceiling approved by the Ministry. That ceiling belongs to the system, not to each entity individually.
The guide's general application rules reinforce that position. It requires transparency over distribution criteria, prohibits discrimination between users in equivalent circumstances, requires the fee to be linked to the actual use of works, and reserves the Ministry's right to access records and data whenever it requests them. It also sets a limit before any charge can be made: no collection can be imposed on users until the Ministry approves the fee schedule, and the entity cannot amend it without prior authorisation.
For a promoter, that translates into three questions to put in writing before signing: which repertoire each licence covers, whether the joint collection agreement is in effect, and what happens if the other entity makes a claim later for the same event.
Where does the money collected go?
Most of it goes to rightsholders. Clause seven creates a Cultural Fund to support music and allocates «نسبة (10%)» (a 10% share) of the amount collected before distribution to members, with a detail that matters: that 10% forms part of the maximum 25% deduction on total collections provided for under paragraph 10 of Article 15 of Cabinet Resolution No. 47 of 2022. The deduction and the fund don't add up on top of each other: the fund comes out of the deduction itself.
A simple calculation follows from that: if the deduction cannot exceed 25% and the fund is included within it, at least 75% of what an organiser pays must end up with authors, performers and producers. The fund is held in an independent bank account and governed by a committee of up to seven members — an odd number — with the Ministry of Culture represented in the chair, alongside the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, the management entity, and two independent experts. The guide bars any committee member from holding an executive position at a management entity and requires an annual declaration of conflicts of interest.
The entity is also accountable: it must submit a certified, audited annual report to the Ministry, under the same Article 15 of Resolution No. 47 of 2022.
What happens if an event is held without a licence?
The risk is criminal, not just contractual. Article 39.1 of Decree-Law 38/2021 imposes imprisonment of not less than two months and a fine of between 10,000 and 100,000 dirhams, or either penalty, on anyone who, without the written permission of the author or the holder of the neighbouring right, infringes their moral or economic rights. Article 39.2 raises repeat offences to imprisonment of six months or more and a fine of between 100,000 and 500,000 dirhams.
There's more at stake. Article 35 allows the summary judge, at the rightsholder's request, to record the public performance of a work and prohibit it from continuing. Article 42 adds the confiscation of the equipment used, the closure of the establishment for up to six months, and publication of the judgment in the press at the convicted party's expense. A six-month closure is a bigger blow for a venue than any fine.
On the administrative side, the guide reserves to the Ministry full oversight of authorised entities, with on-site inspections and access to records and systems, the handling of complaints from rightsholders and users, and the power to sanction or revoke the permit under paragraphs 7 and 15 of Article 15 of Resolution No. 47 of 2022. If an entity's invoice looks disproportionate, the Ministry is the place to turn.
What other permits and taxes apply to the same event?
The music licence doesn't replace any other permit. In Dubai, Decree No. 25 of 2013 defines a «ticket» as «any free or paid paper-based or electronic pass which authorises its bearer access to an Event» and, under Article 8.b, requires anyone organising events or operating a licensed venue to register with the *eTicketing* system. In Abu Dhabi, the permit is processed through the Department of Culture and Tourism's Event Licensing System. Both routes are covered in detail in our guide to permits and VAT for selling tickets in the UAE, and mandatory medical cover is covered in our guide to ambulances and security.
On VAT, Article 3 of Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017, in the consolidated version published by the Federal Tax Authority, imposes «a standard rate of 5% Tax» on every supply or import under Article 2, and Article 6 treats any supply that isn't of goods as a service. The guide doesn't say whether the licence fee is invoiced with VAT: the safe approach is to ask the entity for a tax invoice with its registration number and check before paying.
There's a third layer: data. If the entity requests usage reports or attendance lists, that processing falls within the scope of Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021, which we cover in our guide to ticket-buyer data in the UAE. A *setlist* isn't personal data; an attendance list is.
Checklist before booking the music
Six steps, in the order they lock down the schedule.
Decide who applies for the licence, and put it in writing. Promoter, venue or production company: EMRA's page allows for any of the three, so the venue hire contract should state which of them handles it and who pays.
Request the event quote in writing. Since the fee schedule doesn't price concerts, the amount depends on the contract. Ask for a detailed calculation and the reference to whatever category they're applying.
Invoke Article 33 if the event is live. The law allows for a reduced, justified fee for the use of works at public events through live performance. Ask for it in writing and keep the reply.
Check the joint ceiling. If both EMRA and Music Nation make a claim, remember that the total amount collected cannot exceed the ceiling approved by the Ministry: insist on the joint collection agreement.
Prepare the repertoire report. Add an obligation to the contract with artists and DJs to hand over the *setlist* within 48 hours. No repertoire, no distribution — and distribution is what justifies the fee.
Keep the licence with the rest of the file. Alongside the event permit, the medical plan and the VAT registration. It's the document that prevents a complaint under Article 39 and, with it, the risk of closure under Article 42.
And what does Futura Tickets bring to this?
Futura Tickets doesn't manage copyright and doesn't replace a management entity: the licence is applied for through EMRA or Music Nation. What a ticketing platform does solve is the evidentiary side of the file, because sales reports, capacity figures and session-by-session validation are what underpin a fee negotiation and a usage report. With Futura Tickets, that data belongs 100% to the organiser and can be exported in full. You can see this on our product page.
Conclusion
Music at an event in the UAE gets a price tag from 1 December 2026, and the framework is already published: a 2021 federal law, a 2022 resolution, a ministerial guide with a fee annex, and two authorised entities. What's missing is precisely what matters most to anyone putting on concerts: the calculation method for their case. Until that's published, the figure is set by the contract, and the strongest negotiating position is to arrive having read the law, with Article 33 in hand and the event's data on the table.
Sources
- Federal Decree-Law no. (38) of 2021 on Copyrights and Neighbouring Rights — English translation published by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism (marked as unofficial), accessed 10 October 2026.
- WIPO Lex record for Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2021 — World Intellectual Property Organization: enacted on 20 September 2021, published on 26 September 2021, and entered into force on 2 January 2022.
- دليل الإدارة الجماعية في الموسيقى، النسخة 1.1 — Collective Management in Music Guide, Ministry of Economy and Tourism, issued June 2026, effective December 2026, with the fee annex.
- Ministry of Economy and Tourism launches «Collective Management in Music Guide» — Ministry of Economy and Tourism, 11 August 2026.
- Ministry of Economy awards second collective music management license to «Music Nation» — Ministry of Economy and Tourism, 2 June 2025.
- Ministry of Economy grants «Emirates Music Rights Association» license — CISAC, April 2025.
- EMRA — Concerts & Live Events licensing — Emirates Music Rights Association, accessed 19 October 2026.
- EMRA — licence categories — Emirates Music Rights Association, accessed 10 October 2026.
- Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 on Value Added Tax and its amendments — Federal Tax Authority, consolidated version, Articles 3 and 6.
- Decree No. (25) of 2013 Concerning the Event eLicensing and eTicketing System in the Emirate of Dubai — Dubai Legislation, accessed 10 October 2026.