Q. Hey Oracle: You recently answered a question about demo's... What I want to know: if say you're in a band- should you look to play a few gigs before signing to a label? And should one immediately send your demo's to a BIG company like Parlophone, or try a smaller company first? Also,I saw that the "Howling Bells" (Aussie band) got signed to a UK company and had to relocate to the UK... Would one necessarily have to move if one got signed to such a company???

Thank you for your help!!!

Following on from yesterday I would always advise artists to play live as much as possible as not only can you improve performing skills but build a potential fan base. I actually think artists these days should be as pro-active as possible.
I don't think one should necessarily opt for a big or independent label; it may be that you have interest from someone who may turn out to be 'right'. I think it's more important to select the most appropriate label for your band and see if it leads anywhere. Very very few bands get signed per year so it's a tough break to get.
Relocation makes sense with regard to an Australian band given the time difference and distance; I would personally advise it though as I can't see how it could work otherwise.