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Redeem STRUT VIP Member Credits to Level Up Your Music Career
STRUT VIP members receive 8 credits each year that they can use for over 20 consultations, sessions and resources based on their needs.
These services are offered by the Strut Entertainment team, or in some cases by industry experts within Strut’s network that are equipped to provide the best support for the particular member. Each year members will unlock new services offerings, so as members grow, STRUT VIP membership grows with them.
Plus, as a member you get access to benefits and perks as part of your annual membership!
STRUT VIP MEMBER SESSIONS, RESOURCES, & CONSULTS
Mandatory Initial Session - Career Assessment (FREE)
Credits: Complimentary as part of your membership and must be completed before any other sessions or resources
Duration: 1.5 hour consultation
Type: Virtual one-on-one
Prerequisite: Complete the career assessment questionnaire at least one week prior to your session
Feeling uncertain about your next steps or struggling to meet your career goals? Let us assist you! In this session, we’ll review your career journey so far and help identify any roadblocks or practices that may be hindering your progress. You’ll leave with actionable recommendations for your next steps, along with valuable connections to industry professionals who can support you on your journey. We’ll also provide guidance on which sessions in your STRUT VIP Membership will be most beneficial for you.
Ask Us Anything Session (FREE)
Credits: Complimentary as part of your membership
Credit: 0
Duration: 1 hour
Type: Virtual group session offered every 2 weeks to members
This complimentary group session is your opportunity to ask questions about STRUT VIP, including how to make the most of your membership and what to redeem your credits for. You’re also welcome to ask general questions about your music career—just keep in mind this is a group setting. For personalized guidance, we recommend using your credits for a General Consultation. To get the most out of this session, we suggest completing your mandatory career assessment first.
A&R Consultation
Credits: 2
Duration: 1 hour for the session, with an additional 1 hour of work in advance (by the A&R consultant) for the session
Type: Virtual one-on-one
Prerequisite: The consultant will receive all information that the artist provides for their Career Assessment, including links to unreleased music.
Meet with an industry veteran who specializes in “the music”. An A&R consultant helps assess where an artist is in creative process (strengths, weaknesses), coordinates songwriting and production relationships for an artist, provides creative input and direction on artist's material and finds suitable co-writers, producers and recording studios. Learn how to work on your artistry and recorded music. Find out when the right time is to bring this type of music industry professional onto your team. In advance of this session your music will be sent to the consultant so that individual advice and guidance can be given as part of the session.
Artist Fact Sheet Creation & Template
Credits: 2
Type: Resource - PDF and Canva: no session required
Prerequisite: Artist is required to provide information and materials such as bio, career highlights, upcoming priorities and photos via a survey form
Deliverable: Finished fact sheet delivered you as a PDF, as well as a Canva template that you can use and update in Canva
Files will be delivered within 2 weeks of you providing materials
As an artist or band, you're constantly introducing yourself to new audiences and seeking opportunities. Often, those you’re reaching out to may not be familiar with your work. A well-crafted marketing fact sheet (one sheet) makes it easy for industry professionals to quickly understand who you are, what you’ve accomplished, and what’s next. It serves as a powerful tool for pitching yourself to industry such as potential collaborators, promoters or brands in an eye-catching format.
We’ll create a fact sheet that clearly communicates your story—who you are and why the audience should pay attention, alongside key updates and contact information. You’ll receive a polished, ready-to-send PDF, as well as a link to a customizable Canva template, allowing you to update it with new content, colors, branding, or release information as needed.
Please note: Since we are providing an editable Canva template, revisions will not be offered after delivery.
Biography Editing or Writing
Credits: 1
Type: Resource, no session required
Prerequisite: Artist is required to fill out a survey form with career highlights, upcoming priorities, and music
Deliverables: Will receive a new bio within two weeks of submitting required materials
As an artist, for many elements of your career you need to be able to clearly present who you are, what your sound is all about, and why the audience should be interested. That all starts with a carefully crafted biography. From there you can then pull information from the bio for your “elevator pitch”, PR, DSP pitches, or creative marketing assets for you and your upcoming releases.
We’ll help edit and update an existing bio, or help craft a new bio for an upcoming project so that you’re ready to present yourself and your upcoming release effectively. For the redemption of this credit we’ll ask you to provide existing bio materials, career highlights, release history, a link to upcoming music, and information on your next project.
Please note: The biography will be between 175-350 words and artists can request one round of revisions. If you need something more in-depth we’re happy to refer you to someone in Strut’s paid network. Bio is delivered as a word or google document so you can use it and update it as required.
Budget & Artist Release Checklist Templates
Credits: 1
Type: Resource, no session required
Deliverables: delivered as Google docs spreadsheet / excel file and word doc/ PDF within 2 weeks of requesting the resource
Struggling to plan your next music release when it comes to setup and finances? Let us simplify the process for you. We’ll provide a budget template and recommended budget tailored for a single release and an album/EP release. Plus, you’ll get a yearly budget template covering essential expenses that developing artists should plan for, such as recording, live performances, and hiring service providers like publicists, marketing teams, and radio promoters. This will all be delivered as a Google spreadsheet, which you can also download as an Excel file.
In addition, we offer an artist pre- and post-release checklist that outlines everything you need to do before your release and on release day. This checklist includes tips on what you need to action both ahead of your release, and then post-release via various channels including your distributor, social media and DSP dashboard.
Digital Marketing & Advertising Overview
Credits: 2
Duration: 1.5 hours
Type: Virtual group session
Deliverables: Artists will receive an Advertising 101 summary document following the session
Digital marketing enables artists to use online platforms and technologies to attract and engage fans, fostering deeper long-term connections. For developing artists, having a digital marketing strategy is essential—and it’s often more cost-effective than traditional marketing channels.
In this session, we’ll cover digital marketing strategies, focusing on content creation and key paid advertising campaigns that boost awareness, grow your audience, and drive streams or views. The consultant will guide you through the essential marketing and advertising tools to activate across social media platforms and DSPs, as well as recommend tools to enhance your content creation. You'll learn how to effectively use digital marketing and advertising to expand your audience and keep them engaged.
Additionally, there will be a "Digital Advertising 101" segment in the session, providing an introduction to key advertising terms, types, and self-serve platforms to help you launch your own paid campaigns. We’ll also discuss how to broadly measure digital marketing success and returns, although this session is not an analytics deep dive.
French Market General Consultation
Credit: 1
Duration: 1 hour
Type: Virtual one-on-one session
This session is designed to address anything you need to know about the French music market in Canada. The music industry in Quebec is quite different from English-speaking Canada, so our local experts are here to guide you on the best strategies to launch your career in this unique market. It’s especially valuable for English-speaking artists seeking insights to navigate the region effectively
Artist Brand Identity Session
Credits: 2
Duration: 1.5 hour session and 1 hour of pre and post work to be done by the consultant
Type: Virtual one-on-one
Deliverables: You will receive a branding document within two weeks of your consult
In this session, we’ll conduct an in-depth exploration of the “who, what, and why” that define your artist brand. We’ll collaborate to develop your brand descriptors, clarify how you want to be perceived, and identify what makes you stand out from your peers. Understanding who you are and who you are not is equally important in shaping your brand identity. After the session, you’ll receive a branding document that you can leverage for future project planning.
Artist Management Overview
Credits: 1
Duration: 1 hour consultation
Type: Virtual one-on-one
An Artist Manager serves as a dedicated partner, guiding and nurturing the careers of musicians and bands to reach their full potential. Artist Managers oversee every aspect of an artist's career, from strategic planning and contract negotiations, to tour management and brand development. They also help build a network of strong relationships to further an artist's career. A manager acts as a liaison between artists and industry professionals, ensuring their clients' artistic vision is realized while navigating the complexities of the music business. With their expertise and unwavering dedication, Artist Managers empower artists to thrive creatively and achieve long-term success in the competitive music industry landscape.
In this consultation meet with an artist manager to discuss what to look for in a manager and how to go about finding one that’s a right fit for your project. This is a great opportunity to ask key questions pertaining to your career. And also discuss when is the right time to bring on a manager for your career development.
Brand Partnerships Intro
Credits: 1
Duration: 1 hour
Type: Virtual group session
A brand partnership is the collaboration between an artist and a brand to mutually benefit both parties. For artists, these partnerships can expand their reach to new audiences, help them create engaging content for their fans, and offer perks such as free products or additional revenue streams. In this group session, you'll learn how to effectively pitch partnership or campaign ideas to brands, leverage your unique qualities as an artist, and monetize your social media by securing in-kind products and paid sponsorships through brand collaborations.
Digital Distribution Overview
Credits: 1
Duration: 1 hour
Type: Virtual group session
Deliverables: Following the session you receive a comparison chart of many of the self-serve distribution options available to artists.
A digital distributor distributes your music to various digital retailers such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, Deezer, Beatport, etc, and collects the money from sales on your behalf.
There are several different models for how distributors structure deals with artists. In this session, you’ll learn the fundamentals of digital distribution for independent artists, along with tips on how to evaluate and choose the best distribution partner for your releases. We’ll compare offerings from various distributors and explore how to identify the right distribution model for your project.
This is a group session, and you will receive a comparison chart of digital distributors following the session.
DSP (Streaming Services) Artist Best Practices and Dashboards
Credits: 1
Duration: 1 hour
Type: Virtual group session
Are your artist DSP (streaming) profiles fully set up and claimed? Are you using all the promotional tools that DSPs offer, like editorial pitching, playlists, Artist’s Picks, Spotify Canvas, motion graphics, and Clips? If you’re unsure or haven’t taken full advantage of these features, this session is for you.
In this session, we’ll walk through the artist dashboards of the three major DSPs—Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music—showing you how to pitch and promote your releases through each platform. You'll learn how to make the most of the tools DSPs provide to enhance your visibility. We'll cover essential best practices for optimizing your profiles ahead of a release and how to avoid common pitfalls, such as playlist pitching scams. In the final part of the session, we’ll show you how to pull and interpret key analytics on each platform.
General Consultation
Credit: 1
Duration: 1 hour
Type: Virtual one-on-one session
This session can be used for anything that you need to discuss with the Strut team regarding your career and prefer to do one-on-one, vs in our “ask us anything” group sessions.
Media Pitching Overview
Credit: 1
Duration: 1 hour
Type: Virtual group session
Are you on a limited budget or not yet at the point where you need to hire a publicist? In this session learn when and how to pitch local, regional and provincial media to help promote your new single, EP, album, tour or award nomination.
Music Publishing & Rights Management Overview
Credits: 1
Duration: 1 hour
Type: Virtual group session
Deliverable: Following the session you will receive a list of organizations and resources related to music publishing.
*Please note: this session will not be offered until May 2025
Music publishing and rights management related functions are crucial to the success and protection of musical works. These services include copyright administration, licensing, and royalty collection on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers. In this session learn about the basics of music publishing and how it works. Plus, learn more about the elements you need to ensure you are set up to protect and maximize your musical works. Additionally, they’ll discuss at what stage in your career you should look to collaborate with a rights management professional and how to go about finding a partner that is the right fit for you.
Press Release Writing
Credits: 1
Type: Resource via email only, no session required
Prerequisite: Artists will be required to fill out a form providing details for the press release draft in advance
Deliverable: Word document press release within two weeks of materials being supplied
Need a press release written for an upcoming single, EP, album or tour? We can help. Use 1 credit to get a one page press release written. This service includes two rounds of edits only. Delivered as a word document so you can use it as required.
Public Relations Consult
Credits: 1
Duration: 1 hour consultation
Type: Virtual one-on-one session
Public Relations aims to raise awareness for an artist and their music through earned (unpaid) media opportunities. Publicists strategize and execute campaigns to generate positive exposure and secure media coverage for clients through various mechanisms such as press releases, persuasive pitches, media days, red carpet appearances and sometimes promotional events.
Utilizing the information you provided us for your career assessment, meet with a public relations consultant to discuss when it may be the right time for you to activate a PR campaign around a project and what that entails. In addition to media strategy specific to your project, you will also get an update on the media landscape in Canada.
Radio Promotion Consult
Credits: 1
Duration: 1 hour consultation
Type: Virtual one-on-one session
Radio promotion services are designed to boost an artist’s presence on the airwaves through targeted campaigns aimed at securing airplay on commercial stations as well as non-commercial outlets like CBC and SiriusXM. Securing airplay can provide a valuable revenue stream for artists. Radio promo experts cultivate relationships with Program Directors and Music Directors to secure airplay rotation and feedback for artists. Additionally, they may facilitate radio interviews in touring markets and set up stand alone radio promo tours.
Given the limited space for new music on the airwaves, it's crucial to work with a trusted radio promo partner who will only pitch songs with real potential for success. In this consultation, you’ll meet with a radio promo expert to discuss whether radio is the right fit for your project and how it can align with your overall artist strategy.
Revenue Streams Session
Credits: 1
Duration: 1 hour consultation
Type: Virtual group session, offered once a month
With tight budgets and constant expenses for new music projects, it’s essential for artists to understand all potential revenue streams for their business. In this session, we’ll explore every opportunity for funding your music career and establishing sustainable income sources as you grow your business.
Social Media Analysis
Credits: 1
Type: Resource, no session required
Deliverable: Social media analysis for two social platforms of the artist’s choosing, delivered within 2 weeks of the approved request
To find the most effective social media strategy for your project, it’s important to understand what’s currently working and where improvements can be made. We’ll conduct a detailed analysis of two social platforms you select as your priority, highlighting what you’re doing well and identifying key areas for growth and optimization.
You’ll receive the analysis as a PDF, which you can reference as needed. We recommend reviewing the feedback promptly and applying the suggestions across your other social platforms for a cohesive strategy.
Social Media Best Practices & Publishing Tools
Credits: 1
Duration: 1 hour
Type: Virtual group session
Deliverable: Following the session you will receive an artist social media best practices document as well as a social media calendar spreadsheet template for you to use on future projects
While social media content is tailored to each artist or band, there are essential best practices that can enhance your presence, especially around a release. Adhering to these practices can help you maximize audience growth, engagement, and reach, enabling you to achieve your social media goals.
In this session, we’ll explore artist best practices for platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter), as well as strategies for effectively engaging with DSPs on social media. Additionally, we’ll discuss how to create a social media content calendar and provide a template for your use. We'll also touch on social media scheduling and publishing tools, including when it might be beneficial to incorporate them into your strategy.
Touring and Booking Intro
Credits: 1
Duration: 1 hour consultation
Type: Virtual group session
As an artist, live performance is a critical part of growing your business. In this session, you’ll learn the fundamentals of pitching yourself to book shows and festivals. We’ll also cover when it’s appropriate to consider securing a booking agent, what agents typically look for, and the most effective ways to approach them.
Website Planning and Development Overview
Credits: 1
Duration: 1 hour
Type: Virtual group session
A website or simple landing page is a critical marketing and promotional tool for artists. Many artists may think they don’t need a website, but keep in mind with social platforms you don’t own that data or access to your community, the particular platform does. Consider what happened with MySpace: if your only connection to fans was on that platform, you’d have had to start over when it lost popularity. You can prevent this scenario by establishing a straightforward artist website and e-newsletter.
In this group session we will discuss what key elements should be on an artist website, how to create a site map or wireframe, and what self-serve website building tools you could use to create a website (such as Wix, Squarespace or Bandzoogle). You don’t need to be a designer to create an effective online presence!
Plus, get benefits & perks!
As a STRUT VIP member you also get to enjoy benefits and perks like free concert tickets, VIP event invites, free swag, and discounts on products and services available to members on an ad hoc basis.
Plus, members access preferred rates for full-service campaigns from Strut.
Pictured: Strut influencer Ruby Gillett with Jabra earbuds secured via Strut.
