Producer Howard Benson has worked with a slew of alternative rock bands and artists over nearly four decades, producing some of their most recognized albums. Benson worked on My Chemical Romance‘s 2004 album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. He did The All-American Rejects’ 2005 sophomore album Move Along. He did multiple albums for Flyleaf, Three Days Grace, and many more influential projects.
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Benson had a hand in crafting much of the iconic sound of late-90s and 2000s alt-rock. However, the industry has changed over the years. Speaking with American Songwriter via email, Benson shared his thoughts about how the music industry and technology has changed, his favorite project (hint: it’s not an album), and the most fulfilling part of producing.
Producer Howard Benson on How Technology Has Changed the Music Industry
The music industry is constantly evolving, and one must evolve with it to be able to succeed. Industry practices change, but so does technology, marketing, and the way people listen to music. For producer Howard Benson, he adapted to all of these changes as they came, especially when it came to technology.
“The technology changed dramatically in about 1997 when I started using Protools. I was a very early adopter,” he says when asked how music production has changed over the years. “The Less Than Jake record Hello Rockview I produced was probably one of the first rock records to fully use the technology in 1997. That was also the year that Autotune appeared as a plugin. That REALLY changed things a lot!” he added.
By 2003, studios were almost fully computer-driven, as Benson puts it. However, “communicating over long distances, i.e. file sharing, wasn’t that possible because the internet speeds were so slow,” Benson says. “We still did a lot of in person recording and that really still persisted (in the rock world) up to the pandemic.”
Now, says Benson, there’s more of a combination of remote and in-person recording going on. Additionally, Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), the technology that allows for remote recording, “are more plentiful and way affordable. [You] have Logic, Protools, Abelton amongst others, and bands provide the producer with more of a skeleton or idea of the material using whatever they are comfortable with.”
In the Music Industry of the Past, if the Label Lost Interest, You Were Done For
Other changes have come in how music is picked up and distributed. For Benson, the music industry has changed often and continues to change even now. “That’s the way I see it,” he says. “It’s no longer only run by big corporations. Now indie labels and production houses can create their own material and either distribute it themselves (or with indie [distribution]), or it gets upstreamed eventually to the majors. Back then you had limited choices to get your music heard. And more importantly to keep your career going.”
According to Benson, “If the major [labels] lost interest … you were in trouble. Now you have so many more avenues that you can pursue.” However, he says—and he emphasizes this—”you have to do a lot of the work yourself that the major used to do. It’s now your business. The indie label is a partner, and most of the time cannot make it happen for you if your worldview is just the music.
“You, the artist, are every [department] … sales, marketing, social media, accounting, legal, promotion etc.,” Benson explained. “As producers and labels we help those that help themselves. If the artist isn’t handling the basics, we are going to have a hard time breaking them.”
Howard Benson’s word of advice? “If you are challenged at social media you should probably get someone in your band that isn’t!”
Howard Benson Feels “Blessed to Be a Part of This Great Human Experiment”
There’s a saying that music is a universal language. Music connects people—it’s an art form at the same time that it’s communication. It challenges the mind and heals the spirit, inspires, soothes, and fulfills even the most casual listener. What does it feel like for those who make the music?
“As part of Judge & Jury Records, my most fulfilling part is the interaction with the artists and executives that I deal with, and of course, stumbling on that great song or artist that makes you just feel blessed to be a part of this great human experiment,” says Howard Benson when asked about the most fulfilling part of his career in music.
“It’s magical, when you hear music that makes you feel that intense feeling (we are in the business of feeling and emotion!) or meet an artist that you know right away, they have that thing,” he continues. “As a producer, the process was always the point. I love to make records. A timestamp of the moment. I have always wanted to do it since I was a kid.”
As for Howard Benson’s favorite project? He says it’s changed over the years, but, “Probably raising 2 kids and being married!” Sharing a sweet anecdote, Benson explained, “I got great advice from [composer and producer] David Foster when I met him while hanging out at Sunset Sound in the early 80’s. I hadn’t even produced a record. He was doing Chicago or something huge then. I asked him what I should do to further my career and he said ‘Don’t get divorced.’ I took that to heart!”
This interview was edited for clarity.
Featured Image by Neil Zlozower
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