Dude, this is my heart

The New York Times ran a fascinating piece (which requires registration for you to read) this past Sunday on the rise and fall of the Backstreet Boys. On the one hand, that's one down and a thousand copycats to go, but on the other, you almost feel sorry for them. Neil Strauss covers all the Spinal Tap bases -- particularly the sour relationship between the band and their original manager, Lou Pearlman, and a spouse who "began exerting a major influence over his decisions" and causing friction inside and outside the band. Filling out the checklist was the age-old story of a huge act getting still not receiving royalties on their records, and the absolutely ridiculous notion that selling 1.6 million records in your first week is a failure.

Buried amongst the tale, however, is a factoid that isn't terribly surprising, in retrospect. The management company that won the Boys' business in 1999, The Firm, also owns a chain of stuffed animal stores. Synergy, baby! Said Firm denies in the article that they were able to finance some rather explosive growth for their organization, including the aforementioned stuffed animals, via huge advances related to Backstreet Boys albums and tours. They're lying, of course, but it's not like it was totally illegal or unethical or anything. A little dubious, sure, but if Major League Baseball has taught us anything, it's that if someone is willing to give you lots and lots of money, you take it.

All in all, it's a pure schadenfreude moment, as it's hard not to be amused by the cavities caused by the sugary pop boy bands. However, the story ends on an ominous note signified by two of the most frightening words in all of the music business. Solo careers.