Music: Big Poppa's Bubble Gum Machine

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Marketing to pubescent girls has its peculiarities. Selling merchandise on the Internet isn't nearly as lucrative as it is for other performers, since most of the boy-group fan base doesn't have credit cards. And given that it might take fans longer than their older sisters and brothers to scrape together the price of a ticket, the groups have to space their playdates carefully before returning to the same city. Nevertheless, since a big part of the game is maintaining an aura of intimacy with the fans, the boys have grueling concert schedules studded with state fairs and in-store appearances--'N Sync did more than 140 dates last year, a far more frantic pace than most multiplatinum artists would put up with. Then again, the need isn't quite so urgent for most acts to--let's not put too fine a point on it--milk their popularity.

"Radio gets tired of the screaming girls and the calls coming in for requests. These groups don't last forever," says Donna Wright, who used to co-manage Backstreet Boys, is still in litigation with them and thus has an ax to grind. Backstreet Boys sued Wright in part because they wanted somebody else to take them to the next level. "There is no next level," Wright replies. "This is as big as you get." Pearlman figures on a three-to-five-year life-span for his bands. "The new fan base, the younger sisters, may or may not be into you," he says. "They may be into the next group." Which may or may not be another Trans Continental group.

The boys see things differently. "We won't be a one-hit wonder," says Joshua Scott Chasez--J.C. of 'N Sync. He's supposed to be the brooding one, yet adds, "I have faith." And who knows? Michael Jackson did O.K. for himself. But does anyone remember who the sensitive Bay City Roller was?