Advice about labels

right, i am currently finishing a few tracks that are of a very commercially viable sound. they sound good but they obviously lack the finesse and polish that would be obtained in a proper studio. i am looking to start sending out some demo cd's to indie record labels that i think would like this stuff.

how polished do you think this stuff needs to be before it goes out? i'm obviously aware that the better it sounds the better it will come across but not sure. is it just the general idea that needs to be put across or are record companies looking for an almost perfected sound?

also, does anyone have any experience in the industry with regards to studios. I would hope that if i got signed i would get the chance to completely re-record everything in a professional studio on pro instruments but not sure whether that is the norm.

probably jumping the gun a bit with this but need advice on whether to spend endless hours getting this stuff super tight and if its actually needed at this stage?

any opinions would be mega

Best presentation sonically is needed these days as everyone is making music on the computer.
Depending on the genre you are going for even getting heard by a semi sized indi label is not easy.
You need an angle, and at least to set up a rapport, as cold calling with demos will get you absolutely nowhere.
You need some kind of contact at the place so that when your demo hits the inbox or lands on the doormat, they already know who has sent it and are expecting it.

Good visual presentation helps a lot, as well as offering a full package, good gig history, proven fan base etc, all these things help massively.
I played the label circuit many years ago and finally got signed by Beggars Banquet, and the whole game is nasty but you do need to make sure you have everything sewn up and sorted before you send that demo, or you are wasting your time.

Also reproduction in a studio is a possibility depending on the size of the label, but bear in mind advances almost don`t exist any more, and you will end up paying for pro studio time either yourself, or out of your advance anyway.

cheers for the reply mate. Deep down i kind of thought it would be like this. I think i'll get my stuff sounding tight and approach a mastering studio with a view to going it alone digitally with maybe some 7'' releases if all goes well. It was never about the money, just really want to get this stuff out as i think it would be well received. gonna set up a website and try to market the shit out of this thing, approach the major download sites etc. i like this idea loads more than being dictated to by a business that basically wants to make money from you. Cheers for the advice

I reckon one of your best bets for free or at least very cheap studio time would be to approach a college/university and volunteer your band/act to be recorded by the students. Tons of people studying music tech these days mate!

good idea tonyc, will look into that. i will definitely be needing some studio time if only for the vocal tracks.

We might be interested in some of your stuff. http://www.themidnightfamily.co.uk/mmii :)

some good stuff on there DVNT, i'll certainly drop you a few tracks when there done mate.