Read the true story of Universal Music Russia’s first CEO and his quest to bring Western popular music to post-Soviet Russia in an account that Publishers Weekly calls "an exciting and colorful look at a dynamic period in Russia’s cultural history" and Library Journal calls an "absorbing illustration of the mutuality of music and politics."
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Russia opened its borders, and Russian audiences were hungry for Western popular music and the values it espoused. David Junk was one of the first idealistic, young Americans to seize this opportunity.
Rockin’ the Kremlin is the thrilling true story of how David became the first CEO of Universal Music Russia and built impactful cultural bridges with music—but also how that would all shatter with the rise of Vladimir Putin and invasions of Ukraine. There was no proper music industry in the USSR, and creating a modern music industry in Russia would be far more challenging than anyone had anticipated. David assembled a team of young and talented Russians, and they navigated a terrain filled with political chaos, organized crime, powerful oligarchs, bombings, and violence—with cultural clashes tinting many aspects. They captivated millions by bringing superstar acts to Russia for the first time ever, including Metallica, Mariah Carey, Sting, Eminem, and Enrique Iglesias, while developing local talent such as Alsou and t.A.T.u.—Russia’s greatest selling pop act of all time. Eventually, David would even build a music industry in Ukraine and other countries in Eastern Europe.
While Russia’s descent into authoritarianism and two invasions of Ukraine have tarnished this, the industry that David shepherded has birthed a newer generation of Russian musicians who are speaking out against the war and Putin. Filled with unique insights as well as gripping—and sometimes humorous—stories, this book reveals how it all happened.
David Junk was the first CEO of Universal Music in Moscow, and for a decade he promoted international artists in Russia, including stars like Mariah Carey, Elton John, U2, Sting, and Bon Jovi. He also signed many Russian artists to Universal, including t.A.T.u and Alsou. He was vice-president Eastern Europe at Universal Music in 2003, opened the first Universal Music office in Kyiv, Ukraine, and developed music reality shows for Ukrainian TV. He is a founding member of the Russian Music Industry Association and the US Ambassadors Task Force on Intellectual Property Rights.
Fred Bronson is the bestselling author of six books including The Jacksons: Legacy, The Sound of Music Family Scrapbook, Dick Clarks American Bandstand, and three Billboard charts books. For over three decades, he has been reporting on the music industry for Billboard magazine, covering many topics including American Idol, the Eurovision Song Contest, ABBA, and Motown. His articles have also appeared in The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and the Los Angeles Times. He is a four-time guest on American Idol and a writer of three Star Trek episodes. Fredbronson.com.
Introduction
SECTION ONE: MY STRANGE PATH TO RUSSIA
Chapter 1: Cold War Kid
Chapter 2: Tear Down This Wall
Chapter 3: Diamonds Are Forever…Or Are They?
SECTION TWO: MY MUSIC CAREER BEGINS
Chapter 4: Ketchup Or Music?
Chapter 5: Breaking News
SECTION THREE: POP STARS AND OLIGARCHS
Chapter 6: The Oligarch’s Daughter
Chapter 7: It’s In The Bag
Chapter 8: Enrique In The Kremlin
Chapter 9: Did We Have Fun At The After-Party?
SECTION FOUR: THE MOST DANGEROUS BAND
Chapter 10: The Kiss Heard ’Round The World
Chapter 11: Fifty-Fifty
Chapter 12: Broadcast Standards
Chapter 13: “Get Them Out Of Monaco!”
Interlude: Building The Russian Music Industry
SECTION FIVE: THE BUILDING PROJECT
Chapter 14: Pirate Battle
Chapter 15: I Want My MTV (On Red Square)
Chapter 16: Mariah Makes It Happen In Moscow
SECTION SIX: THE GOLDEN YEARS
Chapter 17: The Russian Wham!
Chapter 18: Smashed!!
Chapter 19: Meeting The Maestro
Chapter 20: At The Ballet/Jazzman
Chapter 21: 54 And Above
Chapter 22: Comebacks
Chapter 23: Peak Performance in Eastern Europe
SECTION SEVEN: DARK DAYS
Chapter 24: Band Troubles
Chapter 25: Not Guilty
Chapter 26: The Underworld
Chapter 27: On Dangerous Ground
SECTION 8: UKRAINE AND RUSSIA
Chapter 28: An American In Ukraine
Chapter 29: An American Chance In Ukraine
Chapter 30: An Unexpected Return
Chapter 31: Putting It Together
Chapter 32: Sochi
Chapter 33: Crimea
Chapter 34: A Brave Rock Star
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Music industry veteran Junk debuts with an energetic chronicle of his crusade to bring popular Western music to post-Soviet Russia. Inspired by the end of the Cold War, the author moved to Moscow in the early 1990s aiming to topple the old Soviet music industry in favor of one befitting the new Russia. At Polygram Records and then Universal Music Russia (where he eventually became CEO), Junk dealt with gangster capitalism; rampant music piracy; powerful oligarchs; and the Russian Orthodox Church’s antagonism toward pro-LGBTQ musical acts, most notably the Russian girl group t.A.T.u. Along the way, he scoured the radio, music competitions, and MTV Russia to discover top-selling talent including Alsou and Smash!! (Russia’s boy band answer to Wham!).... It’s an exciting and colorful look at a dynamic period in Russia’s cultural history.
— Publishers Weekly
Junk, former CEO of Universal Music in Moscow, collaborated with music journalist Bronson to create a fascinating, nicely paced memoir charting the rise and, sadly, eventual fall, of Junk’s fortunes in Russians music industry as he attempted to open the doors to international music acts (Elton John, Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi) and open world markets for Russian acts following the fall of the Berlin Wall. Junk’s journey from idealistic, young American rock n roller to hard-tested music industry vet is peppered with encounters with myriad shady characters. When Junk began working in Russia in the early 1990s, he writes, the country was as “chaotic, corrupt, and dangerous [as] Chicago was in the 1930s.” Still, Junk scores a number of notable successes, introducing hip hop to Russia, convincing rising Russian pop star Alsou to go to the Eurovison Song Contest, and nurturing t.A.T.u, an act that attained international fame and became the biggest-selling Russian artists of their time. Putin, his increasingly authoritarian rule, and Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine cast a shadow, yet Junk’s accomplishments inspired hopes of what might be again in some future, freer Russia.
— Booklist
"Russia during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ‘wild 90s’ that followed was anarchic, violent, corrupt, and exciting, as this gonzo page-turner of an account makes clear—just as it illustrates the return of order first and then authoritarianism. Gangsters, rockers, entrepreneurs, idealists, Putin, Sting, and a mortar full of vodka—they’re all here."
— Mark Galeotti, historian and author, A Short History of Russia and We Need to Talk about Putin
“I led an American pop music invasion… to Russia. It was too loud and brash, like rock ’n’ roll—these words from David Junk impressed and inspired me. He tries to find meaning behind the cause to which he devoted over three decades of his life—bringing America and Russia closer together after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Visiting my homeland, Ukraine, David questions if dedicating these thirty years was in vain. His story is captivating.”
— Ruslana, renowned Ukrainian singer and activist; winner of the Eurovision Song Contest and World Music Awards
"A compulsive, shocking story. David Junk thought he was being made head of Universal Music in Russia, but in fact, he was being appointed the American music industrys commander-in-chief against the Russian underworld, their corrupt military, and Putins appalling security forces. Yet, he still managed to give Russia its first ever international supergroup. David Junk is a man in a million."
— Simon Napier-Bell, author, film maker, and music manager, Wham!, The Yardbirds, Sinead OConnor
“A funny, fascinating, and frightening angle on Russia’s trajectory from decadence to dictatorship.”
— Peter Pomerantsev, journalist and author, This Is Not Propaganda; senior fellow, SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University
"Holy perestroika! David Junk brings alive music and business in Russia with intrigue, insight, and humor. He barely pauses for breath, and the result is both compelling and satisfying."
— Adam White, former editor-in-chief, Billboard; author, Motown: The Sound of Young America
“A revealing and engaging account by an American farm boy who became the most powerful music executive in Russia and led a cultural revolution, with behind-the-scenes stories of how he brought Western pop culture to the country and orchestrated hits by legendary artists like Mariah Carey, Eminem, Shania Twain, and U2."
— Zach Horowitz, former president & chief operating officer, Universal Music Group
"David Junk chronicles his experiences in the exciting—if dangerous—Russia directly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. We were fueled by hope and belief that we were paving the way to a better society, and I am extremely grateful that David has put pen to paper. David invites readers into this world in this captivatingly told story."
— Neil Turkewitz, artist rights advocate and former executive vice president, International, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
"This book is fun, full of action, and perfectly captures the madness of the times as well as the ugly side of Russian show business, populated with scary thugs, dodgy characters, and impatient billionaires. Highly recommend. It reads like a thriller, but it all really happened."
— Emmanuel Legrand, former global editor, Billboard; editor, Creative Industries Newsletter
