Success Fact: TOPS

TOPS are a 5-piece band from Montreal who on April 3rd, 2020 released "I Feel Alive", their 4th full-length album. This is the band's first self-released record and, for the first time in their career, TOPS has been directly responsible for all related marketing, touring, and promotion expenses. Radio Starmaker Fund’s support proved invaluable as the band embarked on a robust touring schedule ahead of the release. With a large touring party, and the backline and transport to match, funding was used to help reduce overhead costs by subsidizing flights, hotels, vehicle rentals, professional personnel, and equipment rentals to ensure the band was able to provide a professional live experience for their fans. Likewise, for the marketing and promotion of their first self-released record, the band did not have the war chest of an established label, and Starmaker funding allowed them to book marketing opportunities that would not have been considered otherwise. As a result of their improved touring abilities and record promotion, their music was able to reach a wider audience while the band was able to retain ownership of their masters.

When TOPS had to postpone all post-release touring due to COVID-19, Radio Starmaker’s support was essential to allow the band to land on their feet and have the flexibility to adapt to the new industry reality. In the precarious landscape around touring and live shows, Radio Starmaker has allowed for bands like TOPS, who are operating without the safety-net of a label, to maintain their fanbase while growing new audiences. This security has allowed TOPS to continue to invest in their career and the band is looking forward to their release in 2021 and hope to return to the road soon.

Sebastian Cowan
Arbutus Recordss

Application Evaluation

Applications to the Radio Starmaker Fund are evaluated on four major criteria:

• The track record of the artist
• The amount of money invested by the applicant and his/her label
• The quality of the marketing plan, both the proposed RSF portion and the portion to which the applicant has committed through their significant investment
• The amount of money the Radio Starmaker Fund has available for the round

In order to qualify for the Radio Starmaker Fund, artists are required to reach prescribed sales levels by genre and demonstrate a financial commitment to the marketing of their recorded project. For a detailed description of our criteria please visit our website at www.radiostarmakerfund.com. Furthermore, the artist must be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant and the ownership of the master recording must reside with a Canadian company.

We continue to fund artists from a wide variety of musical genres and from every region of the country.

Applications Submitted vs. Applications Approved