Getting prepped to.(IndieInsider)

In the mainstream media, the demo is perhaps the most oft-referenced (and subsequently mocked) element of the independent music scene. Countless films and TV shows will parody the up-and-coming band just "trying to get its demo into the right hands." While that same independent music scene has progressed quite significantly over the last decade, the demo--as indicated by its recurrence in such media to date--is still a significant aspect of career development for independent artists.

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The demo has taken on a more ambiguous definition of late. No longer simply a two-track cassette ambitiously mailed out to radio stations and record labels, demos can now be anything from tracks you lay down on a handheld recorder for internal band scrutiny, through to pre-production recordings for future releases, right on to the traditional definition that we'll adopt here: a recording of a few key tracks that's shopped around for the purpose of attracting industry attention and strengthening your support group.

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GETTING IT TOGETHER

"You're definitely going to want to go with your strongest material, and you probably don't want to go over three songs," advises Josh Hogan, who's been on …