The kiddie fan base has seldom been well served by the record industry, says Treadwell. There is a correlation between that optimism and 'N Sync's appeal to the 12 million potential consumers who are 9 to 11 years old, notes Tina Treadwell, executive director of talent development and music specials at the Disney Channel, which helped break 'N Sync to a wider audience with a July cable concert. 'Teens today are very optimistic, not only about their day-to-day lives in general, but about the future, and it seems that today's pop music - fun, light, very carefree - is reflective of that.' 'It's a reflection of the times,' says Michael Wood of Teenage Research Unlimited. The Backstreet Boys's eponymous debut was the third best-selling album of 1998, 'N Sync's the fifth, while 17-year-old Britney Spears's debut recently opened at No. What they're buying in record amounts is the music of teen pop idols. Two years ago, for the first time ever, females purchased more music than males. And while boys slightly outnumber girls in that key demographic, girls are making their buying power felt. Those teenagers spent $140 billion last year, according to Teenage Research Unlimited, a Chicago-based firm that tracks youth buying trends. With this approach, the band has captured the attention - and the wallets - of an emerging demographic powerhouse: 31 million American kids between the ages of 12 and 19.

We're just explaining who we are, talking about what we know about.' There's a lot of hip-hop artists who've probably had it pretty rough growing up in a ghetto, and they're explaining their story.

'We're not trying to be something that we're not. The group's senior member and founder, 27-year-old Chris Kirkpatrick, elaborates on this sentiment. 'We figured we enjoy this kind of music, so people who are anywhere like our age would probably like this music as well.' 'When we thought of an audience, we thought about people who were like us,' says Timberlake, the group's 18-year-old blond heartthrob who shares lead vocal duties with 22-year-old Chasez. Affable and focused, they seem unaffected by their success, a success they attribute, in part, to their identification with their fans. Sprawled on couches in a dressing room deep withing the Civic Arena, the five members of 'N Sync look like your average mall rats, albeit better dressed and surrounded by bodyguards and keepers. And 'N Sync's cheery faces adorn dozens of teen-oriented magazines - 16, Teen Beat, Super Teen, Teen Machine, Bop, Tiger Beat, etc. An official biography published by Bantam has sold half a million copies. In December, the group had two albums on the top five of Billboard's album chart - the first time that's happened since the Beatles did it in 1967. And fan enthusiasm shows little sign of abating: A 41-city summer tour, which will include a July 28 stop at Nissan Pavilion, is already almost sold out.įor the moment, 'N Sync rules as the most popular group in America. In fact, the entire 54-city arena tour was completely sold out before 'N Sync hit the road two weeks ago. Tonight's MCI Center show sold out last October. Of course, 16 has seen this all before - it's about to turn 44 - but the magazine's target audience, girls ages 9 to 18, is bigger than ever.Īnd it's these millennium kids who are making 'N Sync's 'Face the Music' tour - sponsored by Oxy Balance acne cream - the year's hottest ticket. 'Boy bands right now are more popular than anyone who's in teen movies, including Leo,' says Ellen Jurcsak, editor of 16 magazine. O-town is the sound of very young America.

Over the last 18 months, these two Orlando-based vocal groups have grossed close to a billion dollars from album sales, concert tickets, videos and other merchandise. To stay warm, they mimic 'N Sync's energized dance steps, gleefully sing favorite ballad choruses, and talk animatedly about who's sweeter, Justin Timberlake or JC Chasez.Īnd they engage in lighthearted banter about who's better, and who's cuter - 'N Sync or their friendly rivals, the Backstreet Boys, currently the two most requested acts on MTV. Hundreds of them have gathered here in bitter cold four hours before the doors open, but they're oblivious to the chill. Just ask the girls outside the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. None more so, perhaps, than the five stylish boys of 'N Sync.

Dirty pop nsync merchandise