Experiences will vary of course, but here's my two cents worth. I've been with five Record companies and also released three independant albums, so if nothing else, I've got opinions.

I was with RCA briefly in the early seventies, just long enough to do a demo album and realize that if you want to have control over ANY aspect of your work, you'd better have a lot of clout before signing with a "mainstream" company. "Boot" records heavily promoted their "moneymakers", Stompin' Tom, and Liona Boyd, and although they'd return phone calls, they seemed most interested in getting the publishing rights for all their artists' songs. "Cainfield" was a nice small company who allowed me a lot of artistic freedom, but was not established enough to get much distribution. Folk-Legacy Records (owner Sandy Paton is a Mudcatter) was a dream come true for me. Lots of artistic freedom and helpful suggestions to boot. Borealis Records (who I'm with now) are quite similar to F-L in that they're owned and operated by folkies. To me it really helps to know that your record company UNDERSTANDS the music that you play. That may actually be the MOST important factor to me.

The key thing is that when looking for a label (today) have a finished product. It shows the company that you are serious and have been willing to invest your own time and money in your music. So many bands break up and reform that it shows you have some stability. It also means that a company has to accept your music AS IS, 'cause it's already done.

Most folks today go the independant route and I can assure you that radio programmers or bookers don't see that as a reflection of lower quality. They might have twenty years ago, but today it's more likely a sign of musical integrity and business skills.

I'd really reccommend you check up on how Ani DiFranco has run her carreer. Her experience has been a "How to" manual for a lot of artists.

Good luck