Netflix’s new series Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam exposes the dark side of the music industry – namely, the con man behind two of the Y2K era’s most iconic boy bands, NSync and the Backstreet Boys. The shocking docuseries follows the rise of pop music “kingmaker” Lou Pearlman and his decades-long fraudulent enterprise and exploitation of young talents, as seen in a number of interviews and old footage. Whether you’ve watched the docuseries yet, here’s what you need to know about the man behind “one of the longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history”, per Netflix: Lou Pearlman’s early life {"@context":"https://schema.
org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Lou Pearlman poses outside his office’s at Church Street Station in Orlando, Florida, in 2006. Photo: AP Photo","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/12/02654f0e-1ba6-424b-a6e8-31562efade78_d15284c3.jpg"} Lou Pearlman poses outside his office’s at Church Street Station in Orlando, Florida, in 2006. Photo: AP Photo According to People, Pearlman was born on June 19, 1954, and raised in New York City by his parents Hy and Reenie Pearlman.
He was also the cousin of American singer Art Garfunkel from the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Per Forbes, he founded a helicopter taxi service in the 1970s, then got into leasing blimps though his business, Airship International. However it didn’t start off well – the company’s only blimp reportedly crashed soon after take-off in 1980.
How did Lou Pearlman get into the music industry? {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Lou Pearlman with Hollywood records’ Jason Jordan in 2000. Photo: AP Photo","url":"https://img.
i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/12/ccabf50f-039f-409c-941a-812b53c69172_b447afea.jpg"} Lou Pearlman with Hollywood records’ Jason Jordan in 2000.
Photo: AP Photo Pearlman went on to create a private air charter company called Trans Continental Airlines, which flew musicians around the globe. It was around this time that he met the members of New Kids on the Block and learned that they were grossing around US$100 million a year, writes Vanity Fair. “I just didn’t know who they were and I was just questioning, ‘How could these kids afford an aeroplane?’” Pearlman told ABC News in 2000.
“I was told these kids did US$200 million in record sales and US$800 million in touring and merchandising. I was like, ‘I’m in the wrong business.’” What bands did Lou Pearlman manage? {"@context":"https://schema.
org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"The Backstreet Boys filed a lawsuit against Lou Pearlman in 1998, the first of his artists to do so. Photo: Reuters","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/12/5c33e1f8-dc6b-4011-9b45-b17a55579fcc_4f1dba7f.jpg"} The Backstreet Boys filed a lawsuit against Lou Pearlman in 1998, the first of his artists to do so. Photo: Reuters Sure enough, inspired New Kids on the Block’s success, Pearlman decided to make the transition to the music business.
Under his label Trans Continental Records, he launched its first boy band, the Backstreet Boys, who of course went on to become a huge success. Pearlman then started funding and managing NSync, as well as O-Town, LFO, Natural, Take 5, Marshall Dyllon, US5, Solid HarmoniE and Innosense, as noted by People. Per the outlet, he also managed artists including Aaron Carter, Jordan Knight, Smilez & Southstar and C-Note.
How much did Lou Pearlman steal? In 1998, the Backstreet Boys were the first to take legal action against Pearlman, according to People, claiming that they had only received US$300,000 since 1993 while Pearlman had pocketed US$10 million. NSync members were the next to come forward with a lawsuit, and Pearlman was let go as their manager, adds the source. Several other artists filed lawsuits against Pearlman, but his legal issues reportedly peaked in 2006, when it was revealed that he was part of a long-running Ponzi scheme and had defrauded investors out of at least US$300 million.
How many years in prison did Lou Pearlman get? {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Lou Perlman and singer Aaron Carter pictured at the 6th Annual TJ Martell Family’ Day Indoor Carnival Benefit at Cipriani’s Fifth Avenue in 2005, in New York. Photo: Getty Images","url":"https://img.
i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/12/f2b8bf3c-7141-4673-b3af-0e38d8ae7450_3c1e4360.jpg"} Lou Perlman and singer Aaron Carter pictured at the 6th Annual TJ Martell Family’ Day Indoor Carnival Benefit at Cipriani’s Fifth Avenue in 2005, in New York.
Photo: Getty Images As reported by MSNBC, Pearlman was sentenced in 2008 to 25 years in prison for the US$300 million Ponzi scheme. After his arrest, a Vanity Fair article reported that it wasn’t just the investors who were the victims, as there were also allegations of his inappropriate behaviour towards some of the young men he worked with. “I would absolutely say the guy was a sexual predator.
All the talent knew what Lou’s game was. If they say no, they’re lying to you,” Steve Mooney, Pearlman’s former assistant, told the publication. Per People, Pearlman was never charged for these allegations.
What happened to Lou Pearlman? According to Billboard, Pearlman died from cardiac arrest whilst in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Miami, Florida, in August 2016 – eight years into his sentence. Former NSync member Justin Timberlake wrote on X (formerly Twitter) at the time: “I hope he found some peace. God bless and RIP, Lou Pearlman.
” Netflix’s docuseries Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam exposes the dark side of the early 2000s music industry, including the con man behind bands NSync and the Backstreet Boys Pearlman started out leasing taxis and blimps but switched to the music industry after seeing the success of New Kids on the Block at the time – he was also musician Art Garfunkel’s cousin.
