Lance Bass Reveals NSYNC Earned Just 35 Dollars a Day

Despite selling millions of records and performing to sold-out crowds, members of NSYNC received just 35 dollars a day during the height of their popularity, according to Lance Bass. The singer disclosed the group's limited compensation during an October 8 appearance on The Zach Sang Show, describing financial arrangements that left the members without lasting financial security from their years together.

Bass said the group's first substantial paycheck amounted to approximately 10,000 dollars, even after the band had spent years building its career. Reports from Power 106 and Vijesti published October 11 also highlighted the disparity between NSYNC's commercial success and the money its members personally received.

The singer explained that the daily allowance was essentially what the band members had to work with while their careers advanced. According to Bass, the group had spent two or three years working without meaningful compensation before receiving that first check.

Recalling how adults involved in the group's career responded to complaints about the situation, Bass said the members were told they should appreciate receiving payment after working without it for years.

"You should be grateful for that. You've been working for free for two, three years now," Bass recalled being told.

Bass also alleged that the record label and former manager Lou Pearlman benefited substantially from the group's work, including revenue generated by merchandise sales. Although NSYNC achieved major commercial success, he said the earnings did not provide the members with the financial independence that their popularity might suggest.

Addressing assumptions about his personal wealth, Bass explained that his financial situation improved after NSYNC stopped performing together. He said residual payments from the group's recordings remain limited and are not enough to serve as his primary source of income.

"No one set us up for life after that," Bass said.

The singer's comments also revisited the personal consequences of the group's experience under Pearlman. Former bandmate Justin Timberlake previously discussed the psychological effects of his dealings with the manager in a 2011 account, describing how those experiences influenced his interactions with other people.

"Sometimes I used to break my neck to try and make people feel disarmed because I didn't like it that they were so nervous or excited around me. Other times, I would misinterpret that [behavior], especially if there were cameras around. I'd think: this isn't real, and I would act up," Timberlake explained.

Bass said he would have preferred NSYNC to continue working together rather than disbanding, pointing to the Backstreet Boys as an example of a group that maintained its collective career. He also acknowledged that the band's years of success did not eliminate the need for its members to continue working for income after their shared career ended.