Howard Benson: “The producer credit is different than it was 20 years ago, because so many people take it now”Howard Benson has been a producer for nearly 40 years. In that time, he’s produced records for a dynamic selection of artists, from emo rockers My Chemical Romance to his Grammy-winning work on popstar Kelly Clarkson’s 2011 record, Stronger. However, over the last two decades, he’s noticed a shift in respect for record producers.
Speaking to SPIN, Benson notes that, nowadays, record production is misunderstood. He insists people have “no idea” what he truly does. “The producer credit is a really different credit than it was even 20 years ago because so many people take it now,” he says.  “It’s an easy credit for bands to give away because they just go, ‘Aw fuck it, make them a producer.’”

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Due to the credit being dished out so readily, Benson says it’s diluted the true meaning of the title. “You’re not really doing the producer’s job just because you came up with a guitar part or something like that,” he says. “But sometimes you can’t fight that battle because the bands just want what they want.”
He also explains how splitting the producer credits can also put a heavy dent in how much the real producer actually earns. For this reason, Benson insists you have to be firm about how much you’re earning.  “And at some point, it just becomes about the money,” he says. “You just go, ‘You know what, if you’re going to take my producer credit, you’re going to have to pay me this much to take that credit from me or split the credit with me.’”
For those confused about what a producer actually does, Benson explains that a record producer is in the business of “feeling” above all else. “I don’t care how ‘good’ [a track] sounds,” he insists. “My job as a producer is to sell feelings.”
“If I [hear a track and] really hate it, it’s probably good,” he explains. “If I really love it, it’s probably good. But, if I feel absolutely nothing, then the production sucks.”
He notes his work with All-American Rejects for their 2005 record, Move Along. “I had to stop [for a while],” he recalls. “I have a friend who was going through a lot of trouble at that time in his life… The lyrics are about getting through the day, step by step, trying to move along. And I just went like, ‘Oh my God, I just can’t believe how tough his life is right now.’ And I went, ‘This is going to be a hit.’”
Beyond feeling, Benson’s job also comes with a side of babysitting. “You’re just trying to keep the band from imploding,” he says. “I’ve done some bands that literally fight the entire time they’re in the studio. Every producer I meet who’s really good has a good sense of musicality, engineering, and psychology, all three things.”
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