Well I woke up today particularly excited after receiving an email from a label in Europe with the offer to sign up my latest track - a little trippy breaks number.
I have learnt a lot from this whole process and know I still have a lot still to learn. This is what I can share right now:
I only got this opportunity after building some relationships with a few different dj's and producers - none of whom I have met in person before. I started following them on soundcloud, liking their facebook pages, listening to their online radio shows (and chatting in the accompanying live forum feeds) and giving my feedback on their tracks.
I eventually got through by releasing my track on soundcloud and in the same half hour starting a conversation with a couple of these 'hero mentors'. They both said they knew a guy who would like my sound and offered to help put me in touch with them. They also told me to take my track down from soundcloud (or made private) as labels want them to be exclusive. As mentioned in paragraph 1, I have since received that email.
I have noticed that:
1. Not all labels are into your sound and they might knock you back not because it is a bad track, but because it doesn't fit them.
2. It is good to get your track mastered and produced as sweetly and polished as you possibly can - in my case it took 2 months using time on weekends and long evenings.
3. Even so, the mastering and atmospheric feel of my track is still clearly not professional. The label doesn't care (that much). They will master it for me.
Next step is to send through the track in 24 bit WAV format with no compression or limiter on the master as well as sample packs for the remixer. I think I shall have to dropbox all that... I shall also get a copy of the contract to sign by post.
I'll keep you all updated as I learn more.
Aaron