UAE plays the right chord to ensure music royalties

Emirates Music Rights marks significant shift in approach to intellectual property rights and artist protection

- Nandini Sircar [e-mail]

In a landmark move to support creative economy and safeguard the rights of musicians, the Ministry of Economy has announced the launch of the UAE's first Collective Management Organisation (CMO), specifically focused on the music industry.

"This is a pivotal moment for the UAE’s music industry," Dr Al Muaini said. "Under the guidance of Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, we have modernised our policies to ensure that music creators — whether authors, producers, musicians, or performers — receive the royalties they rightfully deserve.”

Previously, artists and producers were required to collect royalties individually from various sectors. With the creation of EMR, licenced under the Ministry of Economy, this process will now be centralised and streamlined. The organisation will be responsible for collecting royalties on behalf of rights holders from businesses that use music commercially, including hotels, shopping malls, broadcasters, and radio stations.