David Kusek

Dave Kusek (46) is a musician who has been inventing the future of music for the past twenty-five years. He was one of the first to capitalize on the commercial potential of computers and music. As an early synthesizer and electronic music pioneer, Dave cut his teeth on innovation. At the age of nineteen, he co-invented electronic drums at Synare, which helped ignite the disco era. In 1980, he founded the first music software company, Passport Designs, which made it possible for musicians to record and produce their music at home with its award-winning software.

Kusek is also a co-developer of the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) standard that opened up electronic music to literally millions of people. His efforts, along with others, set the stage for the desktop music market that we have today. In 1993, Kusek, with A&M Records, designed and developed the first commercially available enhanced CD that connected audio CDs to a personal computer. He also produces interactive DVDs for BMG Music, Windham Hill Records, and Berklee Press.

Today, Dave Kusek is innovating at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass., the premier school for aspiring professional musicians for over half a century. Dave runs Berklee Press, the college's publishing division. In addition, he leads Berklee's major initiative to expand music education worldwide, through an online music school at Berkleemusic.com. An associate professor of music business at Berklee, Kusek also finds time to run Digital Cowboys, his consulting firm.

Kusek is writing a book on the Future of the Music Business. Dave has been quoted in Billboard, Boston Globe, New York Times, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, and has been a speaker and lecturer at Berklee College of Music, MacWorld, Comdex, PC World, NAMM, AES, and Cal State University.

Dave lives just south of Boston with his wife and two children.