Boys Town

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Mar 07, 2000 Source: The Hamilton Spectator Submitted By: flutterby Lisa Hepfner The Spectator They made more money than any other musician or band last year -- $187 million US. That includes revenue from 9.3 million Millennium albums sold, 2.2 million Backstreet Boys albums sold, and $37.1 million US in concert money. The 53 venues of last year's three-month North American Millennium tour sold out in one day. Their last album sold 1.13-million copies in one week after its release last May, beating Garth Brooks' record of 1.09-million sales within seven weeks. And Brooks' album, Double Live, was released in time for Christmas shoppers. They have now sold about 30 million albums worldwide and have gold and platinum records in 45 countries. The Backstreet Boys started out slowly, but after seven years they have reached all the pop milestones. October 7 is the official day Backstreet Boys Day in America, declared by Mayor Glenda Hood of Orlando, the band's birthplace. They didn't win any Grammys this year, but they were honoured by so many other such contests it's hard to believe the loss was devastating. They won Best Non-British Band in the U.K.'s Smash Hits Poll and Best Boy Band in Singapore's MAX Poll Party. They made People's list of Men We Love and the 25 Most Intriguing People. Entertainment Weekly named the band the Best Entertainers of the Year. They've been guests on Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show. They've appeared on all the major award shows, including The American Music Awards, the MTV awards, the Billboard Music awards and the World Music Awards. They starred in the Sears Back to School commercials and as themselves in the movie Drive Me Crazy. Millennium was at the top of the charts in 24 countries besides Canada and the U.S., including Mexico, Germany, Sweden, Hong Kong and India. And perhaps most significantly, they made the cover of the Rolling Stone ... twice. May 27, 1999 and Jan. 20, 2000. It all started in 1993. AJ McLean and Howie Dorough shared the same vocal coach, who introduced them. They had the same musical interests and started touring the audition circuit together. That's where they met Nick Carter. The three of them sang a capella together to showcase their voices. Then one day, at Disney World, they heard Kevin Richardson perform and were impressed with his vocal talents. They asked him to come out and audition with them. A newspaper ad that was looking for people to audition for a new boy band caught their attention, and the foursome beat out 50 other contenders. Lou Pearlman had placed the ad. He had always been interested in the music business; his cousin is Art Garfunkle. But Pearlman was a businessman more than he was a musician. He had heard about the New Kids on the Block and was intrigued with their success. He attended one of their concerts and was blown away by all the energy created by so many screaming girls. The New Kids didn't have a lot of talent, but they were five good looking guys with an engaging dance routine. Pearlman was sure he could duplicate the formula. (The New Kids broke up in 1994 after one of their members, Jon, decided he didn't like touring and their last album, Face the Music, flopped.) Howie, AJ, Kevin and Nick were all classically winsome and they could all sing. But they agreed with Pearlman that they needed a fifth member to round out the sound. Kevin suggested his cousin, Brian Littrell for the role. He called Brian's parents in Kentucky and told them of the situation, reassuring them that Brian would have tutors on the road. He then reached Brian in his U.S. History class at school, and with slight trepidation, Brian agreed to go to Orlando to audition. At 6 a.m. the next morning he was on the plane. In those early days, the Boys would meet with Pearlman at TGI Fridays across from the popular teen hangout, Backstreet Market on International Drive in Orlando. The market has since been torn down to make way for a shopping mall. "The word 'boys' was a natural choice because we were always saying, where are the boys going today, what can the boys do next?" Pearlman said in the Official Biography. The band started touring in Europe, and became a big hit in Germany. Canada was also one of their early conquests, first in Quebec and later in the other provinces. Their first, self-titled album was released in 1996 in Europe and launched a year later in the U.S. Their subsequent success has spawned innumerable copycats. Pearlman himself launched a second boy band around the same time he created the Backstreet Boys. In doing so, he created a legendary rivalry between the two bands. The Backstreet Boys kept running into the 'N Sync boys when they would come and go from venues. They complained that 'N Sync was trying to steal their fans. The two bands briefly shared the same manager, Johnny Wright, and last September 'N Sync moved to Jive Records, the same label Backstreet has been with since 1994. The Boys told MTV that every time they had an idea they would turn around and it would already be done, because both groups were represented by the same people. "It's more frustrating on the creative side, like who you choose to write music with, who you choose to work with and produce your record, who you choose to direct your videos," Kevin told MTV's John Norris. "I mean, it's like, find your own identity." 'N Sync will be on the cover of the Rolling Stone on March 8. But you can't make $187 million dollars US in a year and not expect other people to try to follow in your footsteps. Pop music today is centred around the tween market, with young, bare-bellied divas like Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera or boy bands like Hanson, The Moffatts, A1, 5ive, Westlife, Boyzone, 911, Another Level, Northern Line, No Authority, Youngstown, C-Note, and LFO. Whew. There are also rumours that BSB have reversed their role and are managing a new boy band. It will be interesting to see how the new band will be treated. BSB went through a few legal battles with both Pearlman and their first management company. The Backstreet Boys all insist they have no intention of splitting up any time soon. They are all good friends, they say, and they all love being part of the phenomenon. True, they have never suffered any great scandals. There are no reports of trashed hotel rooms or drug fests after one of their concerts. Most of their fans believe they go to church and pray before every concert ... and maybe they do. Their marketing strategies are becoming more and more clever -- bsbdirect.com is the website dedicated to selling anything Backstreet. Like the comic book. Nick created the superhero story with Marvel Comics' famed Stan Lee. A single-issue, limited edition, full-colour 32-page Backstreet Project, just $10 US. Fans can also log on for the band's first on-line pay per view event on MCY.com from March 15 to July 31. Or just check out Millennium TV on the official website, backstreetboys.com, to see Brian sing, dance, and golf for two weeks. Otherwise there are the usual suspects for sale in abundance. BSB body and nail tattoos ($3.99), puzzle postcards ($3.99), memo boards ($14.99), licence plates ($5.99), songbooks ($24.99) throw blankets ($49.99) and all the posters, t-shirts, jewelry and keychains imaginable. The Boys have signed a new contract with Jive records that will net them a total of $60 million US for their next five albums. The next one is due out in September, and with the contract they will have more creative control over their music. So we can expect that BSB will be around for awhile, but it remains to be seen if they can keep up this level of popularity. Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: johnanz http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Comment on this item. Next Item: Post Concert Depression? Prev Item: The Ladies In His Life