Old article
http://www.laweekly.com/music/robin-antin-built-a-girl-group-empire-with-the-pussycat-dolls-but-does-the-formula-still-work-5643705Considered in the context of The Pussycat Dolls' mega-platinum success, the notion that an heir to the throne could have financial troubles might seem hard to believe. But in the hyper-competitive world of pop music, newcomers often struggle.
"A lot of people stress about money," says Chelsea Korka, a former member of another of Antin's groups, Paradiso Girls, which had only modest success on the charts. "Everybody thinks that if you're in a girl group, you're making all this money. God, you don't make money in a girl group unless you're The Pussycat Dolls and sell a million copies of an album. You're an employee. You really are. And money is tight at times."
Korka, now solo and about to release a new album, pointedly titled Being Human, says that as a member of Paradiso Girls, "I was kind of like a puppet. When you're in a girl group, there is so much pressure about what they think you need to be, and it's a little stressful. But you have to work, you have to push yourself if that's what your dream truly is."
Bessez is also no stranger to the anxiety that comes with being a woman in the business. "It's super stressful, the pressure we have on getting our bodies together and having to look 100 percent perfect all of the time. We're human, and everyone's struggling. There isn't one person that isn't."
Bessez says young recording artists often have little stability. "And that can hurt you big-time, emotionally and mentally," she says. "I'm paid based on performances and royalties on songs, and you can make money one month, and no money for six months."
The music industry is "a tough, evil, awful, no-good business," Bessez adds, "and no matter where you are in your career, money is always going to be something you are struggling with."
