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How to Start a Retail Sale of Music and Video Recordings Via Stalls Business with Meydan Free Zone
A crate of vinyl records at a weekend market stall, a limited-edition pressing bought as much for its collectible value as for the music on it, a box set of films sold to a collector rather than a casual viewer: physical music and video media never fully disappeared, and a dedicated stall-based retailer built around it can still build a real business today.
This guide covers what activity code 4789.05 lets you do, who your clients will be, and how you set the business up in Dubai.
Key Stats at a Glance
What This License Covers
Activity code 4789.05 licenses you to retail all physical music and video recording formats from a market stall or marketplace position, encompassing vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, cassette tapes, film box sets, music box sets, limited-edition and collectible pressings, and other physical audiovisual media sold new, second-hand, or as collector items directly to consumers through a stall-based channel.
If you sell physical music or video recordings to consumers from a stall or marketplace position, this is the code you need.
Who Your Clients Will Be
Your customer base splits into three groups: vinyl record and music media traders selling new and second-hand records to everyday music buyers, collectible and limited-edition dealers serving buyers seeking rare pressings and display-worthy items, and physical video and audiovisual media sellers offering DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and box sets to film collectors.
Over 68% of vinyl buyers globally cite nostalgia and collectible value as their primary purchase motivation, and 45% buy specifically for display and investment purposes, a pattern that plays directly into a stall-based retailer's strength: curated, browsable selection rather than the impersonal shelf of a mainstream chain store.
Mainland or Free Zone
Mainland registration through DET suits a trader working directly through licensed markets under standard commercial rules. Meydan Free Zone offers 100% foreign ownership, zero corporate tax on qualifying income, and a fully digital licensing process, and no third-party pre-approval is needed for this activity, which keeps your setup timeline simple.
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Step-by-Step Setup Guide
- Step 1, book your trade name: Check availability through DET or your chosen free zone authority, confirming activity code 4789.05 is listed for your application.
- Step 2, prepare your setup documents: Passport copies of shareholders and directors, your intended product focus, vinyl and music media, collectibles, or video formats, and a business plan summary.
- Step 3, get your initial approval and license: Meydan Free Zone's fully digital process moves quickly once your documents are complete.
- Step 4, secure your stall or marketplace position: A pitch at a market such as Dubai Flea Market or Alserkal Avenue, or a spot alongside other specialty retailers, is central to this activity.
- Step 5, build your sourcing network: Line up relationships with distributors, collectors, and second-hand sellers to keep a fresh, browsable stock rotating through your stall.
- Step 6, register with MOHRE if you employ staff: This sets your visa quota and puts your team under Wage Protection System compliance from the outset.
Compliance and What You Need in Place
Third-party approval
No third-party approval is needed for this activity, which keeps your setup timeline focused on securing a stall position and building your sourcing network rather than extra regulatory sign-off.
Anti-money laundering compliance
This activity is exempt from anti-money laundering compliance duties, keeping your ongoing regulatory load lighter than higher-risk trading categories.
Authenticity and condition standards
Collectors expect accurate grading of a record's or disc's condition and confidence that a pressing is real, so build clear condition-grading and authenticity checks into how you list and sell stock rather than leaving buyers to guess.
Ongoing renewals
Renew your license every year, keep your marketplace or stall agreements current, and keep your MOHRE registrations up to date if you employ staff.
Stock sourcing and rotation
A stall built around physical media lives or dies on how well you rotate stock, so line up more than one sourcing channel, estate sales, collectors looking to sell, distributors clearing old inventory, so your stall always has something new for a regular browser to find.
Market Opportunity
The global vinyl record market reached USD 1.9 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to USD 3.5 billion by 2033 at a 6.8% CAGR, per IMARC Group, with vinyl now on an 18-year streak of consecutive sales growth, up 4.6% in 2024 alone, per IFPI's Global Music Report 2025.
The Middle East and Africa vinyl market, though smaller at USD 45.08 million in 2024, is growing faster than the global average at a 10.3% CAGR to 2031, per Cognitive Market Research, showing real regional momentum behind physical music formats.
With over 68% of vinyl buyers motivated by nostalgia and collectible value, and 45% buying specifically for display and investment, a stall-based retailer who curates a truly interesting selection is well placed to build the kind of loyal following that keeps buyers coming back, an advantage a mainstream retailer stocking new releases alone cannot easily replicate.
A stall's small footprint is also a strength here rather than a limitation. Collectors expect a personal, browsable experience where a seller knows the stock by name and can point out a rare pressing on request, something a large chain store rarely offers, and that personal touch tends to matter more to this customer base than sheer shelf space or a wide-format store ever could.
Weekend markets and cultural events across Dubai also give a stall-based retailer in this category a built-in stream of foot traffic that a fixed standalone store would need to work much harder to attract: setting up at recurring markets, alongside building a small following through social media posts of new stock arrivals, gives a trader a low-cost way to keep the same collectors coming back week after week.
Conclusion
A Retail Sale of Music and Video Recordings license under activity code 4789.05 is a workable business anchored in a physical music market still posting real, consistent growth. Meydan Free Zone's foreign ownership, tax position, and digital setup process give a trader a practical route to serve collectors and everyday music buyers from a market stall or marketplace position.
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