Lance Bass Says *NSYNC Paid Him $35 a Day

Lance Bass says he received a $35 daily per diem during *NSYNC’s rise to fame and earned little from the group despite its commercial success. He also recalled that the band’s first significant check was for $10,000 after two or three years of working without meaningful pay. Bass described the payments during an appearance on The Zach Sang Show. His account does not establish whether the $10,000 check went to each member or was shared among the group. The financial details come from Bass’s recollection; the reports provide no accounting records documenting individual payments or how the band’s revenue was divided. Bass said he still receives residuals from *NSYNC, but that they are not substantial. He said he made hardly any money with the group and alleged that its record label and former manager, Lou Pearlman, made substantially more. The available information does not independently establish what either received. The singer pointed to merchandise as part of the band’s commercial success, saying it generated millions, but did not specify a total or explain how proceeds were distributed.