[$350 Fee To Work With Licensing Company - Legit?]

it seems to me just like a nasty scam approach. if a company is interested in your song they should pay for it. not you.

[Project Sponsoring]

Are you guys performing already? because of the economic crisis today it is much harder now. but first of all try around with your fans. or opproach local stores or companies who are related to you

[How Important Is Band Image?]

well I know mine is.

 

The same is true of these young guys.

Here is a band from my local Portsmouth, that tours internationally 12 months out of the year. Their image is absolutely unparalleled.  

hehehe  not bad at all. we have a some kind of orchestra here in the netherlands who is touring also a lot. Andre Rieu with a classic Orchestra. They have done a lot on their image, and they have a different opproach on "boring"  classical music. wich also draw the attention from people who normally dont listen to classical music. it is a great concept they are using. especially for commercial purpose.   

[How Important Is Band Image?]

i think band image is very important. if you want to go commercial and want to be heard by the crowd you also have to invest in marketing and promo tools and your own presentation.  a professional looking website for example. professional pictures. its the first thing people will see on the internet.

[How To Get Album Reviews?]

you could always try sending demos to recordlabels which are active in your genres and ask their opinion if they are interested or not. ask your fans if they want to give their honest opinion.