For many musicians, their first stab at getting their music heard is sending a demo to a record company or producer. But what do the people who listen to demos every day want from your tape? Sue Sillitoe finds out.

Some musicians and bands decide to take their future success into their own hands, by putting money into producing their own records. Tony Batchelor and Sue Silutoe take the mystery out of making your own CD, vinyl or cassette release, from initial Session Tape to final product.

An essential part of a release you can be proud of is a good master tape — and today's sophisticated equipment means that you may be able to do at home what was once the province of mastering studios. Craig Anderton explains.

The major record company route is not the only one to musical success. Dave Stewart has successfully avoided the majors and still manages to make a good living from his home-produced music. Here, he charts his musical history.

Electronic music is one area where independent status is the general rule. Ian Boddy is one of the UK's foremost electronic musicians, with a label he set up especially for his own releases. David Hughes gets the full story.

The ingenuity and foresight of DJ Tony Prince resulted in the creation of the DMC record label, the hub of the thriving UK dance remixing scene. Wilf Smarties talks to Tony about how and why the label was set up and persuades remixer Phil Kelsey to take us through a typical remix.

The art of remixing laid bare by DMC's top remixer.