The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory

by John Seabrook

The band was presented with a contract, which “their lawyer,” who had been hired by Pearlman, had already signed off on. There were some peculiar terms in it. For one thing, Pearlman was recognized not only as the band’s nominal manager (Johnny Wright was their actual manager), but also as a sixth Backstreet Boy, entitling him to participate in their record sales, merchandising, and touring income. When AJ’s mom balked, asking if she could take the contract back to Florida and have her own lawyer look it over, Pearlman told her this was a one-time offer, take it or leave it. In her memoir, Backstreet Mom, McLean wrote, “By that point we had put all of our trust in Lou. He had taken a big risk financially and, by that time, we felt that we owed him so much. On more than one occasion, Lou told the boys how he was going to make them into millionaires. The way he lived was the way we all wanted to live. Nice house, nice car, fame, fortune. What parent would turn that down for their child?”