Nick Carter and the other Backstreet Boys want their record company to quit playing games - not with their hearts, but with their careers.

Carter's solo album, ''Now or Never,'' is at the center of a $75 million U.S. District Court lawsuit between the pop vocal group and Zomba Recording Co., the parent of Backstreet Boys' Jive Records label. The group claims that the company refused to release its fourth album in 2002 and instead released Carter's, costing the Boys revenue from CD sales and touring.

Carter, meanwhile, is listed as a plaintiff in the suit, which is still pending.

Despite all this, Backstreet Boys will go on, the 22-year-old says Carter. But after having control of his own project, the youngest Backstreet Boy plans to push the group in some different directions.

''We're going to have to change some things around when it comes to music,'' Carter says. ''I wanted to do another album, but we're going to have to evaluate that situation. Times have changed from that whole pop era. Hopefully, I can bring a new vibe to the band when we go back and do another album.

''I figure it's never too late to learn new things in life - even for old guys like that,'' he adds with a laugh.

Until the group reconvenes, Carter is doing what he can to give ''Now or Never'' a good ride. After debuting at No. 17 on the Billboard charts in November, the album - which has a slightly harder rocking flavor than the group's efforts - has sold 211,000 copies, a far cry from Backstreet Boys' multiplatinum standards. And it was certainly overshadowed by the first solo effort by Justin Timberlake of friendly rivals 'NSYNC.

But with the cushion of Backstreet Boys for fame and fortune, Carter professes to be more interested in creative accomplishment than sales for his solo venture.

''This is not going to be easy; I think everybody knows that,'' he says. ''But I don't want it to be easy. I want it to be hard. I'm that kind of person; I like to break down walls. If I can do this, then at the end of the day, it's probably going to be more rewarding and I'll be happier.

''I mean, dude, I've had a lot of success with Backstreet Boys and I've had a lot of fun and success at a very big magnitude. I'm doing this for the love of music now. I'm doing it for other reasons besides selling records and all that crap. I'm at a point in my life where I've got to enjoy what I'm doing; I've really got to love it, and I've got to learn from it. That's where I'm at right now.''

Source: http://www.theoaklandpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7138207&BRD=982&PAG=461&dept_id=467992&rfi=8