A strategic partnership is a relationship between the artist/band and a company that wants to use music in a way that enhances the products they promote.  With all the doom and gloom about the music industry that's out there, the one big positive that usually gets overshadowed is that music consumption is at an all time high.  Businesses, companies, and organizations all recognize that fact, and they're turning to music to help sell their products.  The company gets great music to help their branding, and the artist gets access to a much larger audience.