How does Soniqo actually run in the venue?

We stream a curated, dayparted programme to your venue's existing audio setup — Sonos, AirPlay, PA, or any standard mixer. No hardware to install, no new accounts for your staff. Staff can adjust volume; everything else is automated and scheduled.

How fast can you go live?

Forty-eight hours from the first call. Day one we do a 30-minute onboarding call. Day one–two we build your sound profile. Day three you're live. Most multi-zone venues are running within the same window.

Standard from Pro tier onwards. Different floors, lobbies, terraces, spas, private rooms all get their own programme, each on its own schedule. All controlled from one dashboard.

What if our internet is unreliable — or goes down completely?

Two answers. Our cloud player already buffers through short drops. For properties where music simply cannot stop — malls, casinos, hotels, live venues — we offer offline playback: a dedicated on-site player with the entire programme stored locally, so the audio path never touches the internet. The connection is only used to sync new tracks and schedules when you're online. Hardware can be supplied and managed by us, or we send the spec and configure yours. Quoted per property.

Our DJ team. Not an algorithm, not a generic playlist library. Every track is handpicked, brand-aligned, and tested against your concept. No explicit tracks, no off-brand surprises.

How often does the music change?

Quarterly refresh on Core, monthly on Pro, custom on Signature. Seasonal modes, event modes, and brand-specific signature evolutions are part of the Pro and Signature tiers. Nothing ever loops the same week twice.

What about the same music across all our locations?

Yes — central group profile with optional local adjustments. The brand sounds consistent across every venue while still respecting venue-specific factors like crowd, hour, season.

Do you handle the new UAE music licence (from 1 December 2026)?

Yes. Under Ministerial Resolution No. 136 of 2026, every UAE restaurant, café, hotel, gym and mall needs an annual music licence from 1 December 2026 — fees from AED 1,500 a year for a small restaurant, fines of up to AED 500,000 without one. For our venues we determine the tariff category, prepare and file the application with the authorised organisation (EMRA or Music Nation), track the renewal, and keep the certificate and track-level documentation inspection-ready — bundled with the music itself. Full breakdown and a fee calculator: soniqo.io/uae-music-licensing/.

What about music licensing?

Handled on our side. PRO and PPL royalties are paid through our system. You stay legally clear without managing any separate accounts or licenses for the music we provide.

Thirty days written notice, any month. No exit fees. We hand back the calendar so you can continue with your previous setup if you want to. First month is treated as a trial — cancel within 30 days, no kill fee, no questions.

Why not just use Spotify Business?

Spotify Business gives you a music library; it does not give you direction. It plays algorithm-based recommendations, includes podcast and sponsor breaks, has no daypart or brand intelligence, and is not insurable as a business audio source. Soniqo is the programme around the music — designed, curated, scheduled, supported.

Permits · for operators5 min read

Live music and DJs in Saudi venues
the GEA permit, without the guesswork.

Live entertainment in restaurants and cafés is now ordinary in the Kingdom — the General Entertainment Authority issued 191 permits for live shows in restaurants and cafés in May 2026 alone. What is still not ordinary is knowing which of your music needs a permit, which needs a licence, and which needs both. This is the practical version.

Two layers, two authoritiesDiagnosis

A live performance — a DJ, a band, an oud player, a singer — is an entertainment activity, and entertainment activities are licensed by the General Entertainment Authority. Recorded background music is a copyright matter under SAIP and the new Copyright Law, and will be covered by collective licensing once the regulation is issued. A venue with a resident DJ on weekends and background music the rest of the week is in both layers.

GEA applications go through its permit platform. Expect to submit the event or programme concept, venue confirmation and suitability documents, site plans, crowd-management and safety plans, the organiser's commercial registration, performer details with the required approvals, and the content and promotional material for review — entertainment applications get a deeper content review than business events. Fees are not published as a flat schedule; they vary by activity and scale. For a small venue programme, allow two to four weeks; recurring programmes and larger productions take longer.

The permit does not license the recorded music between sets, and a music licence does not permit the performance. Operators who assume one covers the other are exposed on the other side.

What doesn't workCommon failed fixes

Booking the act and sorting the permit 'next week'

Two to four weeks is the realistic timeline for a small venue. A Thursday booking for Friday is an unlicensed show.

Assuming the DJ's own paperwork covers the venue

Performer approvals are one input; the permit is for the activity at the venue, applied for by the venue or its organiser.

Running background music on a personal streaming account between sets

The permit covers the performance. The recorded music is a copyright matter — and a consumer account was never a commercial licence.

The venue that gets both layers rightThe fix

Plan the live programme a month ahead, apply through GEA with complete documents, and keep the permit at the premises for the dates it covers. Run recorded music from a commercial, documented source. Keep one folder that answers an inspector's questions for both layers.

Soniqo runs the recorded layer for venues — a programme built for the room, documented track by track — and guides the GEA permit for live nights alongside our sister entertainment business, which books the acts. One conversation covers the DJ, the permit and the music between sets.

●Live shows in restaurants/cafés: GEA permit (191 issued in May 2026 for this category alone)
●Recorded background music: copyright framework, collective licence pending
●Documents: concept, venue suitability, site plan, safety plan, CR, performer approvals, content
●Timeline: 2–4 weeks for a small venue; longer for recurring or large programmes
●Keep the permit at the premises; keep track-level records for recorded music

From the field · Jeddah

A corniche restaurant wanted a saxophonist for weekend dinners and assumed the musician 'had a licence'. The musician had approvals; the venue had no permit for the activity. Four weeks of planning later the shows were licensed, and the background music between sets finally came from something other than a manager's phone.

Common questionsFor operators

Do I need a GEA permit for background music in my café?

No — recorded background music is a copyright matter, not an entertainment activity. It needs a commercial, documented source now and will need a collective licence once the regulation is issued. Live performances are what GEA permits.

How long does a GEA permit take for a restaurant?

Allow two to four weeks for a small venue programme with complete documents; recurring programmes, larger productions and anything needing extensive content review take longer.

What does a GEA permit cost?

Fees are not published as a flat schedule and vary by activity and scale. Budget for them as part of the programme rather than per night, and confirm the figure on application.

Can Soniqo handle the DJ and the permit?

We run the recorded music and its documentation, and guide the permit for live nights; our entertainment side books the acts. One conversation covers all three.

Live nights, licensed