David Fagin, former frontman of power-pop band The Rosenbergs, releases his memoir “Confessions of a Musical Masochist: My Life As An Almost Rockstar” on September 22 via Scout Media in association with Noshpit Entertainment. The book, which carries a foreword by journalist Rob Tannenbaum, recounts Fagin’s decades-long pursuit of a music career, including run-ins with Universal Music, a partnership with Napster and encounters with figures such as Robert Fripp, Jimmy Iovine and Gene Simmons.
According to the announcement, a central episode involves a 1999 dispute over a restrictive contract tied to a Rosenbergs appearance on Farmclub.com, the Universal Music venture backed by Iovine and Doug Morris. Fagin’s critical email about the contract reportedly spread widely among musicians and drew coverage from outlets including CNN, CNBC and Wired, with Universal said to have moved from threatening legal action to discussing a possible signing. The band later struck a deal with Fripp’s Discipline Global Mobile that let them retain ownership of their masters, and subsequently partnered with Napster, which sponsored a tour and featured the band on its homepage during a special edition release of their album “Mission: You.”
The memoir is narrated by Fagin himself in its audiobook edition, a preview of which has been made available online.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Jon Bleicher, prospectpr.com.