Michael Levine

Michael Levine is an Assistant Professor of Musicology at Christopher Newport University (CNU). His research focuses on Cuban music, digital platforms, and post-socialist cultural dynamics in Cuba, particularly investigating 'el paquete semanal' (a USB-based internet system) and its impact on informal music sharing and reparto music networks in Havana and Miami. He holds a PhD in Musicology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and additional degrees from New York University, Brooklyn College, and Rutgers University.

Education:

• PhD in Musicology, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill
• MA in Musicology, Brooklyn College (CUNY)
• MA in Music Technology, NYU Steinhardt School of Education
• BA in Music Performance, Rutgers University

Research & Projects: His work bridges ethnographic fieldwork with digital humanities, including projects like El Paquete Semanal Metadata (a database of Cuban USB content) and Bedstuy Bid (supporting Brooklyn’s Black-owned businesses). He is drafting a monograph, Pegao: Underground Music and the Rise of Reparto in Post-Socialist Cuba, for University Press of Florida.

Publications: He contributes to journals such as Cuban Studies, Twentieth Century Music, and Hypermedia, and writes for platforms like Sounding Out!. His research emphasizes digital music distribution, Caribbean cultural studies, and the intersection of technology and musical expression.

Labs/Teams: He collaborates on initiatives like the National Humanities Center Podcasts (Nerds in the Woods series) and the Environmental Humanities Map for Wichita State University.