- Lance Bass shared that NSYNC was given a daily budget of $35 during NSYNC’s early years.
- The band debuted in Germany but quickly became a huge success, with their debut album going to No. 1 in the country.
- Bass revealed that the group had been “working for free for two, three years.”
Lance Bass gets candid about how much NSYNC made in its early days — and it’s not what you’d expect.
In fact, for one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, NSYNC members Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake, and Chris Kirkpatrick earned $35 a day during the early years of their career.
“Our first check was a $10,000 check after years of No. 1 albums and sold-out tours,” Bass said on The Zach Sang Show THURSDAY. “I don’t know how many millions they made on the merchandise because the merchandise was crazy. And then they finally gave us a check for $10,000. You’re like, ‘Oh, thanks.’ We should be grateful for that, because we’ve been working for free for two or three years now.
NSYNC had debuted in the European market after initially signing with German label BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was first released in Germany in 1997 and reached number one in the country. The album would ultimately obtain the rare Diamond certification by the RIAA in the United States.
“It’s so weird to see people think I’m so rich from NSYNC,” Bass said. “No, not at all. You know, I did well after NSYNC and I’m very proud of everything I did after that. But I didn’t make any money from NSYNC.”
But someone had to reap the rewards of his success. In 1999, the band sued their former manager Lou Pearlman for cheating them out of half of their earnings, eventually settling out of court. Pearlman would later go to prison in 2008 for various crimes, including money laundering and conspiracy. He died on August 19, 2016, at the age of 62.
Bob Berg/Getty
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Bass called Pearlman “one of the greatest crooks of all time”, although he no longer harbors resentment towards him.
“I was a little angry at the adults in the room,” Bass admitted. “You know, the adults in the room say, ‘Oh, you’re just a kid. Oh, you’re okay. Oh, dance, you know, land on your knees. You’re young. You know, you don’t need to sleep. You’re a kid.’ Everyone kept saying, “You’re young. You are young. Well, who cares if you’re young? You know, you still have to earn a living and prepare for the future.
Watch the full interview on The Zach Sang Show below.
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