Dark side of boy bands

Original footage, AI audio and visual syncing technology adds spice to the mix.

- Hein Kaiser

It's a documentary series unlike anything else on television. It's the story of what turned out to be one of the music industry's biggest cons. A Ponzi scheme called the Backstreet Boys, NSync and LFO, among a host of other sensational pop acts of the 'gos. The show is called Dirty Pop, and its on Netflix.

The docuseries tells the story of serial New York-born-and-bred conman Lou Pearlman who achieved fame, or notoriety, by creating and managing some of the most successful boy bands of the 'gos. And believe it or not, Britney Spears was also a Pearlman spawn during her early days as a member of the all-girl ensemble called Innosense.

Dirty Pop narrates the shocking story of how Pearlman created, then commoditised music beyond everyone's wildest imaginations. It was almost as if he turned the young, wannabe stars members of the Backstreet Boys, NSync, LFO and countless less successful outfits into a form of musical servitude. He had investors pour money into these conceptual ensembles and paid the talent next to nothing.

In-between, he robbed Peter to pay Paul, and built a house of cards comprising music, restaurants and other entertainment outlets. But it all came crashing down, as Ponzi schemes inevitably do.