I have been working in the music industry all my life. I was one of the first to capitalize on the commercial potential of computers and music and have been having lots of fun in this space ever since.

When I was nineteen, I co-invented electronic drums at Synare, which (much to our surprise) helped ignite the disco era. In 1980, I founded the first music software company, Passport Designs, where we made it possible for musicians to record and produce their music at home with our award-winning software Master Tracks Pro, Encore, and MusicTime.

I was one of the people who helped to develop the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) standard that opened up electronic music to literally millions of people. We got MIDI working across many different instruments and manufacturers and this set the stage for the desktop music market that we have today. In 1993, along with my friend Larry Hamby at A&M Records, we designed and developed the first commercially available enhanced CD that connected audio CDs to a personal computer. I also went on to produce interactive DVDs for BMG Music, Windham Hill Records, and Berklee Press.

In 1995, I co-wrote what has become the best selling music business book “The Future of Music, Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution” which has sold over 25,000 copies worldwide with my pal Gerd Leonhard. A lot of what we wrote about has come true, and a lot more is going to become true. You can get the book on Amazon. www.amazon.com

I actively blog about the Future of Music here: futureofmusicbook.com

Today, I am Vice President at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass., the premier school for aspiring professional musicians for over half a century. I run the team responsible for the college’s online music school Berkleemusic berkleemusic.com, where we have won the national award for the Best Online College Course 5 years in a row. I also helped to develop Berklee Shares berkleeshares.com, where we distributed free online music lessons; and am a Berkleemusic Faculty member, teaching “The Future of Music and the Music Business” http://www.berkleemusic.com/school/co...

My latest project is called Music Power Network. MPN is an online service for independent musicians, songwriters, producers, artist managers, and business people starting new music companies. MPN provides online music business lessons, exclusive video interviews and advice, career and business planning tools and thousands of hand-picked resources designed to help you achieve success in the new music industry. MPN provides the tools, expertise and guidance to help you get organized and take your music career to the next level. www.musicpowernetwork.com

I have written for or been quoted in Billboard, Boston Globe, New York Times, Wired, BBC, Christian Science Monitor, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, Forbes, NBC-TV, Nightly Business Report, NPR, Corante, The Deal, Inside Digital Media, and the Financial Times. I have been interviewed by over 50 radio stations worldwide and have been a speaker and lecturer at Berklee College of Music, MacWorld, Comdex, PC World, NAMM, AES, IEBA Transmission, and California State University.