Tag Archives: Dawoud Kringle

In Memoriam: Bassist T.M. Stevens

Text by Dawoud Kringle

The world of music was saddened to learn of the passing of bassist Thomas Michael Stevens / T.M. Stevens (a.k.a. Shaka Zulu).

Born in New York City on July 28, 1951, Stevens studied biology in school, but at the suggestion of his professor decided to drop out to focus on music. He honed his skills by playing in after-hours clubs around the city. He soon became established on the scene and began working as a session musician who excelled in a wide range of genres.

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Saudi Arabia Music Scene Report: A Music Culture Shift

Text by Dawoud Kringle

An unprecedented cultural change is happening in Saudi Arabia. After decades of rule wherein the Saudi dynasty has attempted to institute their interpretation of Shari’ah, big changes are happening.

The documented history of music in the Kingdom goes back around 120 years. Between 1903 and 1905, the first record was made by the Dutch consulate in Saudi Arabia. It featured voices singing songs accompanying the Hajj rituals, and singing songs together that appeared to be related to social rituals.

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Kaveh Haghtalab

Kaveh Haghtalab, A Closer Look at an Iranian Musician in New York

Interview by Dawoud Kringle (DK)

Kaveh Haghtalab

Photo by Yasi Omrani

DooBeeDooBeeDoo NY interviewed Iranian musician Kaveh Haghtalab (KH) (https://doobeedoobeedoo.info/kaveh-haghtalab-an-iranian-musicians-perspective-of-nys-music-scene/). This is part two of that interview, where we delve deeper into Kaveh’s experiences and work as a musician.

DK: You’ve been involved with several bands in New York since you moved here in 2012, one of which is SoSaLa. How did you become involved with them?

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Peter Gordon

Two New Digital Releases by Sax Maestro Peter Gordon

Wow…Gordon made friends with Captain Beefheart and spent time at Beefheart’s home studio while he was recording Trout Mask Replica!

Reviews by Dawoud Kringle

Peter Gordon Artist: Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra
Title: Piety Street Adjacent
Format: album
Label: Adjacent Records
Genre: Downtown Music/NO WAVE/electronic funky music
Buy here

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BMI Sold Out

An Editorial by Dawoud Kringle

Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI), one of the major performing rights organizations (PRO) in the United States, was founded in 1939 by the National Association of Broadcasters.

In the late 1930s, royalties to publishers and songwriters worked differently than they do today. Rather than paying for the songs that they played, broadcasters were required to hand over a certain percentage of their revenue to a PRO, regardless of how much music they played, or which artists. During the Great Depression, ASCAP (the dominant PRO at that time, founded in 1914, and still the second-largest in the US today) raised the percentage it required broadcasters to pay. The radio broadcasters rebelled, and set up their collection organization; BMI. The US Justice Department under the Roosevelt Administration ran an antitrust investigation of ASCAP, and BMI. Both organizations entered into “consent decrees” with the Justice Department, requiring them to allow radio stations to pay only for the music they played, and requiring both organizations to offer their entire catalogs to broadcasters.

With only a few alterations, those consent decrees have governed ASCAP and BMI’s operations ever since. BMI and ASCAP have since operated on a nonprofit basis, collecting and distributing licensing fees to its affiliated songwriters and publishers after paying its overhead/operation costs. These PROs do not own copyrights.

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