I'm in the same boat. I tried pursuing a creative relationship with UFO Music in NY, focused on publishing, sync and distribution. That went south. You could definitely try to get an administrative publishing deal with the publishing wing of a label (or an independent publisher). They would try to place your tunes on TV/Film/Radio or with recording artists. I tried Bug Music, but their attitude was "Why would I want to publish your work?"
I had a little headway with Universal Publishing in the recent past. One thing they were big on was documentation of your track record. I got 15 of my original tunes on MTV Road Rules and Real World episodes. I ended up sending them copies of my royalty statements from BMI to prove I had achieved something on my own. It never really went anywhere, but they would take my calls, listen to what I sent them, and respond to emails.
Sometimes studios will buy stuff so they can put it in their library to draw from when they're producing commercials.
You could also try to find an independent filmmaker who needs soundtrack material.
Another great avenue is trying to get your stuff played on Sports Radio. You could mail it to the producer of the show. Or the host. Or both.