I appreciate that kind of sentimentality. It's a thing to be treasured in the cynical world of MTV commercialism that we live in. It's a lovely and positive way of looking at the business.

But at some point I think people need to see that it isn't all about the music. If it really was all about the music, why, Lance wouldn't need those four bodyguards accompany him down a street. *NSYNC wouldn't have to deal with them pop-hatin' critics. Jive wouldn't spend 87% of its time thinking up ways to market the guys' appeal. We wouldn't have that whole Backstreet feud going on. No one would hate Britney. I might let myself enjoy O-Town once in a while. Heck, I might be able to take something like Platinum Christmas from the store shelves without anyone staring at me oddly the whole time!

Believe me, when dealing with something like *NSYNC, you really can't say "it's all about the music" and leave it at that. The guys themselves even know that there are other factors, other issues to consider in this business.

The thing is, do we really want it to be "all about the music?" Think about this; In wanting everything to be "all about the music," we can't include other positive factors of *NSYNC such as their friendly personalities, their charity work, their fan support, or their bizarre love of hackeysack. At its heart, I don't believe that the *NSYNC Phenomenon is "all about the music," nor do I believe that people, especially fans, want it to be all about the music.

Their music is astounding. I acknowledge that with all my heart. Their music amazes and pleases me. I wish people talked more about their music. If *NSYNC did not make good music, I really wouldn't care about what Chris' birthdate is(Sorry, FuMan>_<...). But again, the music is not all of *NSYNC. *NSYNC is all of *NSYNC, the whole package coming with. And we like that, don't we? Don't we appreciate the fact that we are able to participate in the *NSYNC Phenomenon on all levels, not just the music? I'm not saying at all that the music is in any way insignificant as compared to any other aspect of their or any other artists' careers, just that I'm sure there are other parts of *NSYNC that people like associating with other than just the music.

The music is such a massive and important part of *NSYNC. Indescribably necessary for their appeal. It describes, creates, and shapes our fascination with their persona and their livelihood. They are, after all, musicians. But to bore y'all again with the same concept over and over, when we look at five people as diverse and complex as *NSYNC, we do see other aspects, right?

Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

I have already remarked on the whole sex appeal aspect of the business(See "Glamour"), thus another negative aspect would be the merchandising aspect of *NSYNC's market. When it's useful stuff like the 2001 calender I recently bought or some bookmarks/organizers then I guess you know, who cares, but I'm still kinda annoyed about the whole lip-gloss thing; One minute they're greenlighting it, one minute they're not, and in the end it's still not anything I'm gonna buy anyway. Other examples include the teddy bears; You just make something cute and stick the guys' names on it and people will buy it. Uh huh. It all comes down to commercialism, and I'm not sure any of us are totally okay with that. Is stuff like the lip-gloss useful for general publicity? I don't think so, if a musical group is big enough to have lip-gloss named after them in the first place I don't think something like that is really gonna increase their public appeal that much. So stuff like this doesn't have anything to do with the music, doesn't have a whole lot to do with the business, only has to do with JC's pal George Washington(Ring in lyrics of "Just Got Paid!" Lol). And that understandably distresses many an *NSYNC fan.

Something else which has nothing to do with the music is of course the musicians' relationships with and within the business. Justin and Britney being the utmost example, it is undeniable that their relationship has turned fans both towards and away from the music in several different contexts, and to no fault of their own, an example of how the artist's personas and the "fans'" reactions to it will affect the music itself; The attitude concerning the musician and the audience is undoubtedly very important, and part of the business and the artists' job is to keep that bond with the fans.
(Personal take on this: It's kinda sad that a lot of musicians, especially pop, have to cater themselves to the wishes of the fans to succeed, but at another level isn't the definition of a fan someone who vibes well with the devotee? So really the artist shouldn't have to change for the true fan at all. I mean if you were a fan, do you automatically have the right to wish whatever upon your "devotee?" Of course not, part of being a fan is being well in synch with the persona of the devotee, with or without factors that annoy you...Ring in lyrics of Joey McIntyre's "Stay The Same!" Lol)

Going off the above, the BSB situation seems obvious to mention. They have distinct styles of comparable music(Oxymorons ahoy! Translation: Their music has a style all their own but do not exist on opposite ends of the spectrum)which has a possibility of being enjoyed by the greater whole...if not for the friction existing between the artists who make this music. I'm not making excuses for either side, I'm just stating that this situation is quite possibly the biggest "rivalry" in music biz history, but it goes so far beyond the music itself...I mean, it's laughable. Sure, record sales numbers may have to do with musical/audience appeal on a basic level, but what does it really have to do with "the music" as a whole? Nothing. And yet people are turned away from the music of both groups because of it.

And then we come to the lawsuits. Thanks to *NSYNC and my interest in the music industry:), whenever I think about lawsuits nowadays, I don't think of justice or wrongdoers, instead I tend to think of a whole lot of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$("Get money money monaaaaay!"). I mean the whole Pearlman business was just all about a whole lotta dolla beeeeels. Perhaps not totally on *NSYNC's side, they were just pissed that they were being lied to straight up, but the issue of money took full control of this situation(Well...until it turned into an issue of whether or not *NSYNC would exist at all, but as suggested that's another issue), it was a slap in the faces of the entertainment industry and the legal system. Then we have the Krofft puppetmakers' suit of people who want 10% of income from all *NSYNC puppet-related merchandise, which is just ridiculous. They designed sets for a show, period, and that's the source of which they should be trying to obtain their fair share from; Frankly they don't deserve any other revenue because that's exactly what it would be, other revenue. It just spells $$$ all over again(BTW, I don't look at the *NSYNC marionettes as shameless merchandising purely because it was such an obvious supplement to the No Strings Attached phenom, it would have been stupid for them to not try and pull this off). None of which has anything to do with music anything but still cuts very deeply into the business of *NSYNC.

However, if we take "all about the music" to mean that the music is what really is important, what holds precedence over all other matters and concerns us fans hold towards *NSYNC, what really shapes their phenomenon and situation, then perhaps it really is all about the music. It all boils down, really, to the attitude in which you wish to view *NSYNC and their endeavors. I'm hoping to make mine a positive one, the music itself certainly notwithstanding. Again, at the end of the day it may very well be all about the music, but along the way there are some other bumps we gotta take care of.

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