"11 is about acknowledging what's been lost but also embracing what's to come."
This is soul n' funk songwriter Rudy Love regarding his band The Encore's latest album, the aforementioned 11, which was released exclusively on vinyl June 11th, 2025, and will hit streaming July 11th. But why the staggered release with the physical media out first?
Rudy Love & The Encore is the second act to pair with the Buy Before You Stream initiative, which gives the artist more leverage monetarily speaking before the music is streamed for basically peanuts. This groundbreaking model redefines the artist-fan connection, giving fans the chance to own a tangible piece of music ahead of its digital release. With this initiative, the album's vinyl releases a month before it can be streamed, giving all the profit to the artist.
The initiative is significant to Love Jr, who has a deep connection with vinyl, and witnessed firsthand his family unable to capitalize from their work due to the industry systems in place. His father, Rudy Love Sr., has had work sampled by Jay Z and Little Richard among others. Love Jr.'s grandfather is also claimed to be the songwriter for the classic number, "Good Morning Little School Girl," which has been covered by many artists including Eric Clapton.
Rudy Love & The Encore have released three singles leading up to the release, including "Burnin'," "Flex," and "Move Slow." The new record follows the band's 2023 album, The Beauty of Burdens.
We got to chat with Love about the new album, the Buy Before You Stream initiative, his musical roots, and much more.
So I see your album, 11, is set to be the second release via the Buy Before You Stream Initiative. How did you get aligned with them and what made you want to be a part of it?
We got onboarded with Buy Before You Stream as part of one of the artist-obsessed type of initiatives that Midtopia has championed. The concept of "buy before your stream" puts the power back in the musicians' hands from a financial standpoint. When you look at the number of streams it would require to make a dollar, it makes you feel like you're working backwards. I feel that "buy before you stream" is also a win for the listener, as it gives them something tangible and a feeling of nostalgia.
The music industry has changed so much and, ultimately, we have to remember that while adapting to the times is important, it's imperative to keep hold to the things we've loved about music growing up. Things like having a tangible work of art to admire: from the booklet, to the color aesthetic or graphic design on the labels, to the music itself. We get to keep all of our masters, and any additional revenue goes straight to our band pot. it's just unheard of.
Regarding the new record, what can you tell us about the influence and the vision you had behind it? Why the name 11?
11 is both new and old! This number represents a lot of things. It's a number that's been heavily present in the Love family, starting with Rudy Love Sr. Also, the number of years (at least) that we can look back on and remember songs from the album that have existed this long. Plus, 11 in numerology represents leadership and drive — the marriage between individuality and unity.
Did you encounter any creative challenges in the making of this record whether it be in studio, writing it, or otherwise?
As a band, overall, I think we all knew a direction we wanted to go in. We just needed to agree on this direction. We voted about songs and talked a lot about what message we wanted to convey. We tend to evolve our songs as we record and perform them. Sometimes, that leads to songs going in different directions than we initially intended. There are multiple iterations of the few of the songs on this album. It gets confusing, at times, as you piece together edits and new concepts. But it ultimately leads to exciting conclusions when the record is fully assembled!
Do you find determining the order of songs on the album to be a challenge, and how important is that to you?
The order is important because we want it to tell a story. On this record, we put a few different variations together and listened to hear what flowed the best. I believe we achieved exactly what we were aiming for.
There are so many things to consider with track sequencing. We wanted the listener to go on the same emotional journey that we went on while we created this music, so we made sure to hit those critical emotional beats that we experienced. But we also needed the songs to sound like they belong together. We also thought about the different types of listening that happen. Many of us remember certain music being played while the family cleaned, or cooked, or got ready in the morning. We wanted an album that could be enjoyed *just as much* in those scenarios as it could be enjoyed by a single person lost in their headphones.
What has been your favorite/the most rewarding part of making this album?
Getting to bring life back to some tracks that I didn't think the world would get to hear! Doing it the right way with this crew! Most rewarding part has been melding these older songs we created in our younger years with our most modern iteration of the band. We keep legacy around hearts and in our minds so bridging those music worlds has become a physical manifestation of our ultimate ethos.
I see you yourself come from a line of singers, songwriters, and musicians, including your dad Rudy Sr. Did you always know you would follow in their footsteps, and what was it like growing up in a musical family?
Even though I wasn't anywhere near as naturally gifted as my family, I always knew this was what I wanted to do. My goal was always to belong on the stage with them.
What are one or two pinnacle moments for you as an artist?
This may be corny but, as incredible as it is to be asked to play any festival or event or fly to a new state or country, we love being a part of the legacy we came from. So, playing for non-profits, donation-funded organizations, or things/places that are iconic callbacks to the musicians that taught us are always gonna be the greatest achievements in our book. We also -- I think collectively -- have fallen in love with Pittsburgh and Canada! Places rich with art and love are sort of the selling point for us.
Any plans to tour post-album release? Any particularly notable dates on the calendar for you if so?
We looked forward to Somewhere Fest on June 13th-14th! After that, we celebrate Wichita's Rudy Love Day followed by Jr's birthday, and Rocky's birthday just before on July 4th! We've got performances at Bradley Fair, Mark Arts, and then an upper Midwest tour — honestly anything where people are interested in hearing us play is something we look forward to!
Editor's Note: Aidan Tseng contributed to this article.
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