morphcore

What i've read so far is that you mostly recruit bands while on live gigs, listening to their stuff. But what if a band wants to be signed by you. What would you expect from a band proposing their material to you, beside the fact that you actually have to like the music? Do they need to have a strong concept, do they have to have finished artwork, do they need to present their work in an exciting unseen way? I'm in a band and we're on the edge of finishing our first EP, thinking about proposing it to labels. And i'm wondering what would make the most impact. I'm all for "let the music speak" and just give them a CD with very basic artwork and a name on it. My bandmates don't like this idea.

We're doing some Post-Punk stuff. But not much to link to but some rehearsal recordings right now. We're hitting the Studio in January. I'm more asking hypothetically right now. Like, would a band with a finished concept, already done artwork and merch ideas have a better standing to get signed by a label? Or is it better to be a "blank piece of paper"? Basically speaking, how much influence do you want to have on the bands you sign?