In the world of Pop, flash, cash and priceless publicity create a buzz, but it's the behind-the-scenes teams that back up the bling. That's why superstars from Britney Spears to Snoop Dogg turn to top-notch producers to provide everything from developing a sound to overseeing the creation of an entire album. Producers such as Clif Magness, Matthew Gerard and Sean Hosein aren't household names like their clients, but among music cognoscenti they're famous for their ability to tap into the groove of teenagers everywhere-despite being a decade or more older.

Middle-aged music-industry gurus have their secrets for staying in touch with the teen set: they closely study popular culture-especially the hipsters of the underground. To stay ahead of the game, they often visit popular nightclubs to find the hot underground sound, and some even follow the European scene to see what's hot. The sounds and sights emerging first in the UK or Germany often get exported to the US and around the world.

What have music producers discovered about teens from all this observation? Industry insiders have learned that today's teens are smart consumers that don't necessarily like their Pop performers to be stylized as teens. For example, a performer that seems mature is more appealing than sugary Disney fluff. Furthermore, today's youth are looking for utility. Teens don't want to buy a whole album when they only really like one Pop single-thus the millions of illegal music downloads from Web sites like KaZaa and Napster.

While savvy music producers can take pride in their ability to create big-name stars like Britney Spears and J. Lo, they can't rest on their laurels; the only thing certain about the consumer preferences of today's youth is that they are certain to change tomorrow.