Everyone wants a co-sign from a touring name. The records that actually live, though, get their first life on a Tuesday or a Thursday in a room that holds 200 people. A resident who trusts the floor will test a new XL cut or a RickyP single without waiting for a blog round-up.
That is A&R. Not a spreadsheet of playlist adds. A human being watching whether the room moves. Independent labels that forget this end up chasing trends they cannot feel. We would rather send a DM to a DJ who plays weekly than buy a banner on a lifestyle site.
If you run a night, you are already in the music business. Your USB is a statement of taste. Put something unproven in the middle of a set you already know works. Tell us what happened. That feedback is worth more than a thousand streams from people who skipped at 0:12.
Residents: the catalogue is on Releases. You do not need permission.