We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mark Siegel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mark below.

Hi Mark, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I’ve been lucky enough to be able to make a living solely from my creative work. That being said, it has taken years of fine tuning areas of my artistry that has made it more broadly marketable in the entertainment industry. While I started as a touring musician who had the absolute privilege of seeing the world with several different artists, I knew that if I wanted to have a successful or more importantly “sustainable” business as a creative, I would need to be able to offer more than just one talent or “service”.
Sure, you can make a good living JUST doing one thing that you love, but it can only go so far. I knew that if I wanted to see my business grow financially, I would need to be able to hone in my craft in other areas of the market. So I began studying up from people that I had met and known on how to become a GREAT tour manager, artist manager, songwriter, producer and film composer. All things that I quickly learned I had the ability to do, if I just spent time getting to know the “in’s and out’s” of each market.

I also learned that I would need to utilize one talent to help amplify the other; so as I would make money touring as a musician and tour manager (because being able to do both meant more income each show) I would then invest some of that money into my studio to help grow who I was and what I was able to do as a record producer and songwriter.

I was able to find a way to get them both to work well in tandem, and eventually one would become the priority while I continued to grow in each field. That being said, you never HAVE to cut out a piece of who you are as an artist, regardless of what people say. I was told on various occasions that if I wanted to be successful, I would need to pick one and just focus on that; but the truth of the matter is, there are people out there that have the ability and passion to be able to multiple things, and if you can; go for it, and find a way to make it work in your favor.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was born and raised in northern New Jersey; about 40 minutes outside of Manhattan. Music was a pretty essential part of my family; there were rarely times that music was not being played in our house (much of which was 70’s music), so I found myself drawn to the “creation process” of music at an early age. Ironically, I was not really involved in any of the music programs in school growing up; I primarily focused on playing sports when it came to extracurricular activities. That being said, I still found myself drawn to niche areas of music in that time period. I was a part of a local fife and drum corp that focussed on rudimental drumming, which now looking back clearly helped train my ear for musical precision when it comes to production. I moved to Nashville as soon as I graduated High School and immediately began to learn certain areas of the entertainment industry that really intrigued me. While I began finding myself in a few rooms songwriting at 18 years old, I knew that I wanted to learn the in’s and out’s of what the entire process looked like of writing a hit song, producing the perfect track for it, and then watching how fans engage with it at the live show.
When I began touring with different artists as a musician, I quickly realized that the energy between the fans and myself (and rest of the band) was being facilitated by the song itself; and it made me begin to admire the process of songwriting even more.
The idea that I can sit in a room with other writers (many times who become great friends), hash out a concept that we all relate to, create patterns of sound that make us “feel something” and know that ultimately, that same emotive moment can be felt globally is absolutely invigorating.

The biggest challenge that we run into as songwriters, especially in the current day where there are enormous amounts of content, is exposure. How do you write the song that get’s its moment? When our modern day medium of consumption is streaming on DSP’s (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon etc), they ultimately become the “gate keepers” of what songs deserve to be on their playlists that give the most exposure to a new and global audience. So you find yourself many times, chasing what seem to be the “hot ticket items” of the songs on those playlists, rather than just writing a great song the way that it is naturally presenting itself to you.

I get many clients that will bring song references to sessions if I am producing their record, wanting their music to sound “similar” to XY&Z. However, I’ve noticed that when you let the song itself steer the direction of the production, those productions tend to be ones that people engage with more. So I’ve begun to push more and more on being a good voice of reason; encouraging my artists to trust their song; take chances and avoid the fear of putting something out that feels different. Yes, it may flop; but isn’t that what being an artist is about? There is a type of fearlessness that make artists true artists. Being “OKAY” with the risk of failure, and knowing that you’ve created something from nothing; and maybe just one day it’ll affect somebody else’s life.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

We’re living in an age of content and media overload; and it has caused us all (including creatives) to feel as if we deserve our entertainment for free. With everything being delivered directly to our phones with a global reach, it’s gotten increasingly harder to place value on music. If you stumble upon new music and new artists that you enjoy; keep up with them on social media. It’s one of the best things that society can do alongside of creatives. There is virtually no middle class in the music industry anymore; you are either making literal pennies (.004/per stream) or millions if you are lucky.
With streaming platforms paying creatives as little as they do, artists are reliant on other areas of income. Keep up with their touring schedule, go to their shows, buy their Merch; and whenever possible talk about their music on your social media platforms. It all makes a difference, and is truly what allows them to keep risking it all for the sake of creating art while the world will continue to need it.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me personally, I love the feeling that I get when a piece of music is finally out and/or shared with people. There is an overwhelming joy to see people react to your art, and that’s a reward that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Regardless of whether or not a song “finds success” or “makes money” the feeling remains the same. Beyond that, the songs that we have the privilege of creating get to live forever. They’ll live way beyond our years, and impact more people than we can ever hope to encounter in our lifetime; That’s just something that you don’t get to experience in many other industries.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marksiegelofficial.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marksiegel
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/marksiegelofficial
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/marksiegel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSXPoaJJYbUrURWsrZjoqgQ

Image Credits
Alex Alvga, Andy Hawkes, Victoria Roth