Asher Laub - The Business of Being an Independent Artist

Asher Laub is an in-demand violin soloist whose expertise in trans-genre improvisation has led him to performances at high profile venues like Madison Square Garden, Hammerstein Hall, Lincoln Center, the Jacob Javitz Center and across four continents.  In this episode, you’ll hear about Asher’s journey into music, how he chose the path of independent artist, the parallels between being an independent artist and entrepreneur, and how he is growing his brand.  Asher has been playing the violin since the age of 2 and by age 13 had already performed with the Buffalo philharmonic. He shares how his path began very conventionally attending college and supporting himself with money earned playing music and how a health crisis shifted his focus back to music. Asher talks about his early music career, working with booking agents to get work, and his decision to become an independent artist. He discusses the challenges of wearing many hats as a musician and business-builder and his story illustrates the many parallels between being an independent artist and an entrepreneur. Asher gives us insight into the different ways independent artists monetize their businesses, how he has diversified his revenue streams, and how he has been able to build a brand that attracts and truly resonates with his fans.  Finally, Asher tells us how he knew it was time to hire a team, how he approaches marketing and using data to drive his strategy, his trans-genre approach to his music, and how he prioritizes time with his family and works it around his business. Skip to topic: 4:51 - The complicated shift going from musician to entrepreneur 7:55 - How independent artists are monetizing their businesses as entrepreneurs 10:03 - Building a brand as a musician and the value of fans as brand ambassadors 15:09 - The aspect of Asher’s brand that he thinks attracts fans 19:46 - How Asher has diversified his income streams 21:54 - How Asher works in different types of partnerships 23:54 - When Asher knew he needed to hire a team 27:50 - Using data and analytics to drive marketing strategy 30:50 - Determining the right production frequency to keep fans engaged 31:33 - Taking a trans-genre approach to music 34:40 - How Asher prioritizes his family life and works his professional life around that  Find Asher at: Website: https://www.asherlaub.com & https://www.fiddlersdreammusic.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/asherofficialmusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asherlaub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asherlaubmusic Twitter: https://twitter.com/asherlaub Visit Stephanie at: https://stephaniehayes.biz/ Follow me on Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter Support the show