The success story that is Ben Rector is defined best with one word: independence. The Oklahoma native took his college hobby of writing and playing music not to the industry doorstep, but to the people. The reward has been steady touring and half-a-dozen albums reportedly totaling over 250,000 sold and over 2 million downloads, all on his own Aptly Named independent record label. Rector, back with Brand New and its rapidly rising title track, took a few moments ahead of a tour stop in Los Angeles to talk about the path he’s taken, the things he’s learned, and those show-closing group selfies.
You are about halfway through this leg of the tour. How has it been going?
It’s gone really well. We did a fall run that was mostly major cities that weren’t on the West Coast. Generally, in life, I’m pessimistic. Some of these cities are ones we haven’t played quite as much, so I didn’t have crazy-high expectations for this tour. But, I think the entire tour so far, except for San Francisco, has been sold-out, which is awesome.
You have done all this essentially on your own, without the support of a major label. Was the changing shape of the industry the cause?
I started doing music professionally when I was in college. When I graduated, and things kind of picked up some, a lot of the money in major label deals had started to dry up. It felt like things were changing so fast. We have talked to labels on every release since college. I felt like it never made sense for me. About that time, iTunes was really gaining steam. That felt like an opportunity to not have as much of a ceiling as an independent artist. There weren’t as many gatekeepers. If you were making something people enjoyed, they could find it and they could share it. I’ve been fortunate that people have continued to care about it. (On this record) now, I have a label partner. I’m in the Capitol family.
Despite having to finance your own albums, you have been extremely prolific in the eight years you’ve been doing this. This is your sixth album? That’s a career for some people.
I was doing such quick album cycles when I started because that was the only way I knew how to do it. When my hobby became my job, all I knew how to do was work and write. I’ve slowed down a little bit because I want everything to be really good. The way I was doing it, three years out of college, was not a sustainable way for me to do it. I’m not 19 anymore. I still feel that age, but it feels like a separate lifetime.
Can you explain the role you play as both artist and as your own boss on your Aptly Named label?
I came up doing those things together. A lot of times people think of artists as not knowing what’s going on, but for better or for worse, I enjoy both sides of it. It’s my label, but that sounds more official than it really is. We needed an entity to release music, so, alright, let’s set one up. There is not an office. It’s more of a name for me to release my music independently.
Was there an influence, on the business side of things, for doing it this way?
It’s been a moving target for me. Part of the reason I’ve done it is out of necessity. I needed to figure out things like if playing a fundraiser, could I sell enough CDs to pay for my gas and back. I enjoyed that. Early on, Dave Barnes and Matt Wertz were inspirational to me. They made fantastic music and were always great live. That was a model I saw. I thought I would be in a troubadour, singer-songwriter world playing clubs. It has grown more than I thought it would. I’m not someone who says, I’m going to be famous and you’ll see my name in lights. I’m just not that guy.
You talked about gatekeepers. You have to be your own gatekeeper. How do you ensure that you are your own most constructive critic?
That’s been one of the biggest challenges for me. There are some traits, or learned skills, that helped me early on, but became less helpful as things grew. I had to figure out how to let other people in, and let talented people do their jobs. I like producing music. You learn to trust your gut. But, also you learn that you could be helped in some ways by bringing on a talented person. I can get a little close to the music; sucked into the minutia. I had to learn to bring on people I can trust.
And has that trust yielded the desired result?
I don’t know. I think that I have grown. There have been benefits from that growth. The last couple of records I let other producers help me out, and the records feel more whole because of that. I feel like there has been some success in that I used to want to write every single part in every single song. I’ve kind of grown out of that. I figured out that you’re always learning, growing, and improving as long as you care about it.
For someone hearing or seeing you for the first time, what is it you hope to convey?
What I appreciate about any kind of art is that I love things that are really well-done but still accessible. Older pop music had, maybe, more character, a little more nuance. Today, there are bands that are ‘cool,’ with a lot of cred. And there are bands that are accessible. I feel like that is alienating. I would love for people to come to a show and appreciate it on the face of it. But, if you want to unpack it a little more, I’d love for you to be able to appreciate it on that level, as well. I would love to make music that was as accessible as it was carefully crafted.
Though it’s Ben Rector on the marquee, you seemed to have embraced more of a band concept. Is that a fair assessment?
This record, some of the songs were tracked live. I did want to bring in people that I thought were talented and great, and see what would happen in a live setting. Basically letting those guys do what they are really good at and see what happens. For the live show, the guys are super-talented players. I want it to be something that’s inclusive of everybody in the audience. I’m in a fortunate place to be around talented people and I want to soak that up.
Speaking of inclusive for your audience, the end-of-show audience selfies, and now videos you are doing have taken on a life of their own. How did this come about?
Because I have not done as much mainstream stuff, there is not as much name-recognition (for me) as other people. The people that are excited about me are really excited about it. For a while I was looking for a way to show that what I was doing was cool. But, I’m also deathly afraid of being pompous. The first time we did a video, it felt like a unique and exciting thing; what a fun thing for people to get to see. Now, people are really excited to find themselves in the video. It’s super-fun, and on this tour, I’ve been thinking of ways to spice it up.
The metaphor for this album and tour seems to be a bike. Is there particular significance to that or did you just like the image?
I initially took pictures for the album in a photography studio. The album is called Brand New. I wanted it to be vibrant and youthful, and jump out of the speakers. When we got the photos back they all looked serious and staged. I had bought a bike, and the night before I went out on tour, I called a buddy who is a photographer to come over and shoot me riding a bike. It felt so much more alive, so much more ‘me’ than standing in front of a white background trying to look cool. I just don’t do well with that approach or that appeal. The bike felt like being a kid again.
