Maqām Studio
Maqām Studio is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2023 that preserves and develops maqam musical traditions through a monthly performance series, record label, artist residency, education program, and a 7,000+ hour digitized archive of rare recordings.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersGîza, Egypt
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Maqām Studio does
Maqām Studio is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural organization founded in 2023 by composer, trumpeter, and santur player Amir ElSaffar to preserve, develop, and transmit maqam musical traditions from North Africa through the Middle East to Central Asia. It operates five integrated programs: the Circle of Samāʿ monthly listening series in Brooklyn, Maqām Records (a record label launched in 2024), Maqām Residency (artist development), Maqām Education (master-to-student transmission, including Hamid Al-Saadi's classes at Sarah Lawrence College), and the Maqām Archive (a 7,000+ hour digitized collection of rare recordings sourced from cassettes, reel-to-reel tapes, 78 RPM records, and shellac media).
The organization does not sell a software product; its core technology is the Maqām Archive collection and a small digital footprint (website, email mailing list, Instagram, Bandcamp storefront, YouTube). Revenue is generated through a combination of tax-deductible donations (via Producer Hub Inc. fiscal sponsorship), institutional grants (Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, Open Arts Foundation), album sales on Bandcamp, and live-performance ticket sales through Eventbrite and OvationsTix. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, cultivating an audience through intimate concerts, mailing-list engagement, and critical press coverage in outlets such as The Guardian, Downbeat, Jazzwise, SPIN, and PopMatters.
Maqām Studio serves traditional and contemporary musicians, music enthusiasts and maqam seekers, students and emerging practitioners, Iraqi and broader Muslim/Arab diaspora communities, and academic and cultural institutions (including Lincoln Center, the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center, Pierre Boulez Saal, and Sarah Lawrence College).
Maqām Studio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Maqām Studio
- Legal name
- Maqām Studio
- Website
- https://maqamstudio.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Maqām Studio is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2023 that preserves and develops maqam musical traditions through a monthly performance series, record label, artist residency, education program, and a 7,000+ hour digitized archive of rare recordings.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Maqām Studio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultural Music Programming and Preservation Services
- NAICS
- Sound Recording Studios (51224), Record Production and Distribution (512250), Other Sound Recording Industries (512290)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Recording Studios (Commercial, Project, Mobile) (MPAIAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Media Asset Management (MAM) Platforms (MPAHAGAA)
Keywords
Where Maqām Studio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gîza
- HQ country
- Egypt
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Maqām Studio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Individual donors provide essential funding for artists to compose and perform, covering recording and production costs, and supporting preservation efforts. Donations are tax-deductible through Producer Hub Inc non-profit 501(c)(3) status.
- Maqām Records Album Sales: Record label commissions and produces music albums featuring new arrangements and compositions, sold through Bandcamp storefront. Releases include Maqam Al-Iraq (Hamid Al-Saadi), New Quartet Live at Pierre Boulez Saal (Amir ElSaffar), Inner Spaces (Lorenzo Bianchi Hoesch & Amir ElSaffar), and Tarabesque (Firas Zreik).
- Live Performance Revenue: Ticket sales for live performances at venues including Roulette (Brooklyn) and Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin). December 6, 2025 performance featured Hamid Al-Saadi and Amir ElSaffar's New Quartet.
- Institutional Grants: Support from institutional donors including Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, and OA2 (Open Arts Foundation). Programs operate thanks to generous contributions from institutions and individual donors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Album purchases via Maqām Records |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Live performance tickets |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Donations |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Maqām Studio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Maqām Studio is a Brooklyn-based cultural gathering space that preserves, performs, and teaches maqam musical traditions through five integrated programs: monthly live performances (Circle of Samāʿ), a record label producing albums (Maqām Records), artist residencies, master-musician education, and a 7,000+ hour archive of digitized rare recordings. It functions as both a performance venue and a programmatic nonprofit entity serving musicians, audiences, students, and the maqam diaspora community.
Product overview
Maqām Studio is a unified cultural organization operating as both a performance venue and programmatic entity. The core offering centers on five integrated programs: Maqām Studio (performance and recording space), Maqām Records (record label producing albums), Maqām Residency (artist development), Maqām Education (pedagogy), and Maqām Archive (digitization and preservation). The Circle of Samāʿ serves as the flagship monthly performance series. These programs work together to document, share, and develop maqam musical traditions while connecting master musicians with contemporary audiences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Maqām Records: A record label founded by Amir ElSaffar in 2024 that presents historical and contemporary music rooted in the Maqam tradition of Iraq and the Middle East, dedicated to bringing both historical and contemporary maqam music to global audiences.
Products and services
- Maqām Studio (Performance and Gathering Space) Brooklyn-based cultural gathering space hosting intimate performances, live recording sessions, and archival preservation of maqam musical traditions from North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
- Maqām Records Record label that commissions and produces albums featuring new arrangements of traditional works and new compositions rooted in the maqam modal tradition. Albums are sold digitally via Bandcamp.
- Circle of Samāʿ Monthly performance series in Brooklyn offering intimate listening experiences with maqam musicians, featuring traditional repertoire across multiple Middle Eastern and South Asian traditions as well as contemporary compositions.
- Maqām Residency
Quantifiable outcome
- UNESCO Intangible Heritage status for Iraqi Maqam
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Maqām Studio
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Maqām Studio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Maqām Studio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Maqām Records (internal label)coreRecord label founded by Amir ElSaffar in 2024 to present historical and contemporary music rooted in the Maqam tradition of Iraq and the Middle East. Label commissions and produces albums featuring new arrangements and compositions, making maqam music accessible to global audiences.
- CUNY Cultural Corps ProgramcoreSince Spring 2025, Maqām Studio has served as an institutional partner to the CUNY Cultural Corps Program, hosting interns from City University of New York colleges. Program supports students and young professionals seeking careers in music production, performance, production management, archives, marketing, and arts administration.
- Villa AlbertineminorMaqām Studio hosted composer and sound artist Lorenzo Bianchi-Hoesch in October 2025 as part of his Villa Albertine Residency. Villa Albertine is a French cultural institution supporting artistic residencies.
- Pierre Boulez SaalcorePartner venue in Berlin, one of Europe's best-sounding halls, where Amir ElSaffar's New Quartet recorded their live album released November 2025 on Maqām Records. The venue hosts recording sessions and performances.
- RoulettecoreBrooklyn venue hosting live performances including Sonya Belaya's 'Yazik' premiere (September 2025) and December 6, 2025 double bill featuring Hamid Al-Saadi and Amir ElSaffar's New Quartet.
- The Robert Blackburn Printmaking WorkshopminorCollaborative partner for Homage to Umm Kulthum event on Sunday, April 26th, a special performance featuring vocalist and oud player George Ziadeh.
- Hamid Al-SaadicoreMaster musician and musical expert contributing to Maqām Studio as artist, archivist (donor of 1,200 cassettes), educator (teaches at Sarah Lawrence College), and recording artist on Maqām Records.
- Mr. Fuad Mishu CollectioncorePrivate collector whose family donated 3,000+ cassettes of Iraqi traditional music to the Maqām Archive. Mr. Mishu was an engineer, musician, and avid connoisseur who spent decades collecting and organizing recordings.
- Mr. Saad Al-Jadir CollectioncorePrivate collector whose family donated rare recordings compiled over decades to the Maqām Archive. Mr. Al-Jadir was an Iraqi intellectual, businessman, and musician who collected music from Iraq and beyond.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Maqām Studio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Barbican Music/Dunya Foundation: European-based research and performance network focused on music of the Middle East and North Africa. Comparable to Maqām Studio's archival and research mission surrounding traditional maqam repertoire.
Broad incumbents
- Barbican Centre (Music): Major London arts centre presenting a wide range of contemporary and world music programming. Comparable to Maqām Studio as a presenting venue/partnership counterpart for Maqām-style traditional and contemporary music performances.
- Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: Nonprofit record label and archive operated by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Directly comparable to Maqām Records + Maqām Archive as a recorded-music steward and preservation entity, though with a much broader global scope and institutional backing.
- Silkroad (Yo-Yo Ma): Nonprofit arts organization founded by Yo-Yo Ma that commissions and performs music drawing on cross-cultural traditions. Comparable to Maqām Studio's Circle of Samāʿ and Residency programs as a performing-arts entity rooted in traditional and contemporary cross-cultural repertoire.
- Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage: Division of the Smithsonian that produces the Folklife Festival and oversees cultural heritage programs. Comparable to Maqām Studio as a large-scale institutional steward of traditional and intangible cultural heritage, with significant resources and reach.
Emerging players
- Pi Recordings: Independent NYC-based label releasing avant-garde jazz and creative improvised music. Comparable to Maqām Records as a small, artist-led label releasing contemporary work that intersects with traditional and experimental forms.
Direct peers
- World Music Institute: NYC-based nonprofit that presents traditional and contemporary music from around the world. Directly comparable to Maqām Studio's performance programming at venues like Roulette and Lincoln Center, focused on presenting traditional music forms to NYC audiences.
- Aga Khan Music Initiative: Program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture dedicated to preserving and transmitting musical traditions of Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Closely analogous to Maqām Studio's combined preservation, performance, and education mission focused on traditional modal music.
- Centre for Traditional Music and Dance (CTMD): NYC nonprofit that works with immigrant communities to sustain traditional music and dance. Closely comparable to Maqām Studio's mission of preserving and transmitting endangered musical traditions through community-rooted programming.
- ECM Records: Independent German record label long known for releasing contemporary classical, jazz, and world music recordings. Comparable to Maqām Records as a boutique label producing high-prestige recorded music at the intersection of tradition and contemporary composition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Maqām Studio social profiles
Digital presenceMaqām Studio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Maqām Studio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Maqām Studio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Maqām Studio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Maqām Studio
What does Maqām Studio do?
Maqām Studio is a Brooklyn-based cultural gathering space that preserves, performs, and teaches maqam musical traditions through five integrated programs: monthly live performances (Circle of Samāʿ), a record label producing albums (Maqām Records), artist residencies, master-musician education, and a 7,000+ hour archive of digitized rare recordings. It functions as both a performance venue and a programmatic nonprofit entity serving musicians, audiences, students, and the maqam diaspora community.
Is Maqām Studio a public or private company?
Maqām Studio is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Maqām Studio founded?
Maqām Studio was founded in 2023. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Maqām Studio based?
Maqām Studio is headquartered in Gîza, Egypt, in the Africa region.
How does Maqām Studio make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are maqām Records Album Sales, live Performance Revenue and institutional Grants.
Who are Maqām Studio's main competitors?
Barbican Music/Dunya Foundation is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Barbican Centre (Music), Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Silkroad (Yo-Yo Ma) and Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Pi Recordings is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are World Music Institute, Aga Khan Music Initiative, Centre for Traditional Music and Dance (CTMD) and ECM Records.
Does Maqām Studio have an API?
No public API is recorded for Maqām Studio.
What industry is Maqām Studio in?
Maqām Studio's product category is Cultural Music Programming and Preservation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAHAA, Recording Studios (Commercial, Project, Mobile), with a secondary code of MPAHAGAA, Media Asset Management (MAM) Platforms. Its NAICS code is 51224.