Maker of boy bands faces departures

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - When it comes to riding the boy band wave in pop music, nobody has done it better than Lou Pearlman. The Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync and O-Town are just a few of the groups the Orlando-based impresario and his company, Trans Continental Entertainment, have launched on the road to hormone-fueled success.
But in the past few months, Pearlman has hit some sour notes. About 15 key executives and staffers, including company vice presidents, the chief operating officer, a tour manager, accountants and publicists, have left or been laid off. O-Town, Pearlman's latest breakout success, recently left for a management firm run by former Trans Continental executives, although Pearlman will still earn money from them under a production agreement. Music industry watchers and former employees aren't about to write Pearlman off, however, saying he may just be on a downward slope in a business that has regular peaks and valleys.