There was a time in 1999 when Defected was a small label, founded courtesy of a loan from Ministry of Sound to Simon Dunmore, running out of a small West London office with a handful of staff. They’re now based in the trendy Shoreditch in the east of the city with over 40 staff – quite the transformation in 23 years.

Many have wondered how exactly they get a record signed to the label – mainly because the artists in question are often curiously reluctant to talk about it. Does the label look for a specific something when it comes to signing music – or is it more about looking professional and knowing how to sweet talk Mr Dunmore?

The answer to this question and more will apparently be revealed this Wednesday. Seamus Haji, part of Defected’s A&R team since day one, is going to explain some of this on a free masterclass live on Zoom. But Ears To The House notices two things about this page immediately.

The first is this image of some of the artists previously signed by Defected. For a label whose ethos is all about inclusivity, the collage of mostly miserable looking men just scream sausagefest…

Scrolling down the page, one illuminating detail is that of the three highlighted points, only one is about submitting the demo. The other two are basically the same thing – all about branding and business, a revealing insight into how record labels like Defected work in 2022.

Would Defected sign a release from an artist who had an outstanding song but little social media profile? It’s a curious question – and one we’d like answered…