Real talk: the music industry back in the day was absolute chaos. Lance Bass just dropped some tea on The Zach Sang Show that is lowkey heartbreaking for any 90s kid. Despite being a literal member of one of the biggest boy bands in history, Bass revealed he was only getting a $35 daily per diem during their rise to fame.
The numbers weren't mathing
Bass said that even after years of selling out arenas and dropping No. 1 albums, their first major check was only $10,000. He was told to be grateful for it because they’d technically been "working for free" for a few years prior. It’s giving exploitation, no cap. While fans assumed the boys were rolling in dough, Bass insists, "I didn’t make money with *NSYNC, like, hardly at all."
Where did the bag go?
So, who was eating? According to Bass, the label and their late manager, Lou Pearlman, took home the massive checks. Pearlman, who famously managed both *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, was later convicted for a massive Ponzi scheme. Bass noted that he makes very little in residuals now and actually made more money only after the band went on hiatus in 2002.
Why it matters
It’s a massive L for the industry that one of the most successful acts in Billboard history—a group that sold 2.4 million copies of No Strings Attached in one week—wasn't set up for life. Bass says he has moved past the resentment, but it’s a brutal reminder of how predatory the biz can be when you’re young and hungry.
