Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson are financial backers of pop 'rivals' 5SOS  

One Direction Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson are financial backers of pop 'rivals' 5SOS

One Direction stars Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson are cashing in on fans by promoting 5 Seconds of Summer, a band they own a stake in

One Direction are cashing in on their loyal fans by urging them to support chart rivals 5 Seconds Of Summer – because they own a stake in the band.

Documents found by the Sunday Mirror show Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson are directors of the company which registered the 5SOS trademark.

They, along with bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan, own a 50 per cent stake in the profits with a 10 per cent share each in the company.

The loaded 1D boys have backed the Australian act by regularly tweeting about them to their millions of followers, as well as inviting them as support on a sold-out world arena tour.

In February Louis tweeted: “Hearing @5SOS on the radio is a great way to start the day. Proud of you lads!!” Liam also tweeted: “New @5SOS single ‘Don’t Stop’ is out now! Loving the track guys, go check it out.”

But behind the scenes the musical mentors are getting a cut from the band’s profits.

They now stand to cash in on the boys’ debut album, which topped the US Billboard Hot 100 last week – with the help of their own die-hard fan base.

A source said: “They’re aware of how loyal their following is so by buying into a similar act then urging fans to buy their records, they had a sure-fire hit.

“They are clearly all friends but they also have a business interest in making sure 5SOS does well.”

One Mode Productions Ltd applied for a trademark to cover the 5SOS brand last year. It is also listed as a partner in a company called 5SOS where 5 Seconds of Summer band members Calum Hood, 18, Michael Clifford, 18, Luke Hemmings, 18, and Ashton Irwin, 20, are the other partners.

One Mode Productions was set up in 2012 with Louis, 22, and Liam, 21, as directors – with US website Gossip Candy claiming Niall, 20 Harry, 20, and Zayn, 21, also have an interest.

Richard Griffiths and William Bloomfield of London’s Modest! Management – which manages both bands – are also directors. Louis was the first member of 1D to tweet about 5SOS, encouraging his millions of Twitter followers to get behind them in November 2012 – two months after they had made the deal.

And the next week Niall shared a link to a video of first single Out of My Limit. Yet 1D’s official association with the group has never been confirmed until now. The X Factor UK stars are ­estimated to be worth £20million each and the profits from 5SOS will boost their fortunes. A spokesman for ID said: “We do not comment on the band’s finances.”

5SOS will continue to support 1D on their world tour this year.

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