Why this page exists.
RASPBERRI PR's founder works in music media — as Chief Editor of Crossfade Magazine and in music direction at WMSC 90.3 FM, Montclair State University's radio station. That's where our understanding of what actually gets covered and played comes from. It's also exactly the kind of overlap that deserves a written policy, so we made one before anyone asked. In this scene, trust is the entire business.
The short version.
Hiring RASPBERRI PR does not and cannot get you coverage in Crossfade Magazine or airplay on WMSC 90.3 FM through our founder. Ever. That's not what you're paying for, and anyone who sells you that arrangement — at any outlet — is running a scam.
What we actually do.
Client campaigns exclude both outlets entirely. When we build a media list for your release, Crossfade and WMSC are never on it. Your campaign is pitched to independent blogs, playlists, zines, and college radio stations where we have no editorial role.
Recusal on any overlap. If Crossfade or WMSC independently decides to cover an artist who happens to be a RASPBERRI client — past or present — that decision is made by other staff, the business relationship is disclosed to whoever's making the call, and our founder stays out of it completely.
No borrowed access. RASPBERRI PR never uses Crossfade's or WMSC's contact databases, submission inboxes, promo servicing, or press credentials. The agency built its own media relationships and maintains its own list.
It's verifiable. A current client list is available to leadership at both organizations on request, so recusals can be checked against reality rather than taken on faith. Both organizations received this policy in writing before RASPBERRI PR took its first client.
Every client is told. This isn't buried fine print — it's stated in writing to every artist before they sign, and it lives here permanently.
Why we're this careful.
College radio operates under FCC licenses, and federal payola rules apply to everyone involved in programming — including volunteers. Music journalism only works if coverage can't be bought. And DIY artists have been burned by enough pay-to-play promoters and fake-guarantee publicists that skepticism is the correct default. This policy is our answer to that skepticism: not "trust us," but "here's the structure, here's who's watching, go check."
What we promise instead.
Real pitches, written individually, sent to real people at outlets we don't control — with a full report at the end showing exactly who we contacted and what came back. No coverage guarantees, because honest publicists can't make them. The work is the product.
Questions about any of this? Ask directly: backstage@raspberripr.com