Welcome!
Mastering is the last step in the chain after mixing and putting the icing on the cake. Getting the acceptance of a label to release your track is getting harder and harder every day. You will have to make sureĀ that you can compete with the loudness and still keep the feel and the dynamics of the song.
The sad reality in the music industry is that most label people who are in a position of helping your project, aren’t going to give it the time of day. They are overworked, bombarded by demos. Working with a great mastering engineer will elevate your track and give you some cred with the A&R guys too. Obviously, many mastering engineers have contacts with whom they can “put in a good word” if they really believe in a project.
Have any questions? Please feel free to contact me.