rock paper scissors, inc.

What rock paper scissors, inc. does

Rock Paper Scissors, Inc. is a privately held strategic communications and PR firm founded in 1999 by Dmitri Vietze and headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana. The firm specializes in publicity and marketing services for companies at the intersection of music, media, and technology, with named service verticals spanning music tech, creator tech, media tech, sports tech, wellness tech, and gaming tech. Its service portfolio includes best-in-class PR placement, full-stack marketing (web design, email flows, influencer campaigns, paid advertising on Meta/Google/TikTok), crowdfunding campaign support ("Kick-start Packages" — over $15M in supervised campaigns), executive profile building, event activation, and a modular credit-based offering called RPS Network for flexible engagement without long-term retainers. The firm operates an owned media ecosystem that includes the annual Music Tectonics Conference (7th edition held in Santa Monica in November 2025, moving to San Diego in 2027), the Music Tectonics weekly podcast, the RPScanner newsletter, a community mobile app, and monthly virtual roundtables.

Underlying the service delivery is a proprietary three-step methodology branded "The PR Contraption": (1) Crystallize — distilling the client's essential story; (2) Articulate — communicating it compellingly; and (3) Amplify — releasing and magnifying the story through optimized outreach. Engagements are typically structured as 6–12 month contracts, with a modular credit system (RPS Network) for shorter or lower-commitment needs. Pricing is quote-based, with monthly budget tiers ranging from less than $1K to $10K+.

The client base ranges from early-stage startups (Endel, Mogul, Artiphon, Blipblox, AmazeVR, Bandsintown, Loudr) to larger enterprises (CD Baby, Art + Logic), spanning music creation tools, AI music, distribution, royalties tracking, instruments, VR concerts, and music software. The company is bootstrapped and founder-owned with no disclosed external funding rounds and has been operating profitably for over 25 years.

Name

rock paper scissors, inc.

Legal name

Rock Paper Scissors, Inc.

Website

https://rockpaperscissors.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rock Paper Scissors is a bootstrapped, founder-owned PR and marketing firm founded in 1999 that specializes in publicity for music, media, creator, sports, wellness, and gaming technology companies, anchored by its Music Tectonics Conference and proprietary three-step PR methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. PR Services: Best-in-class media placement for media tech companies following the PR Contraption methodology. Available for 6-12 month contracts. Places stories in business & tech press, music trades, and major publications.
2. Marketing Services: Website design, email flow creation, graphic design, short-form video, influencer campaigns, and paid advertising (Meta, Google, TikTok) for media tech companies.
3. Kick-start Packages: Crowdfunding campaign support including pre-production strategy, driving conversions, and post-campaign backer management. Company claims over $15M raised through supervised campaigns.
4. Event Support: Event planning and execution services including webinar hosting, event activations, conference presence support, and trade show demo coordination.
5. RPS Network: Flexible, modular credit system allowing founders and companies to access PR and marketing services without long-term retainer commitment. Includes insider access to networking and media opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Rock Paper Scissors is a strategic communications and marketing firm that provides PR services, full-service marketing, and crowdfunding campaign support for technology companies in music tech, media tech, creator tech, sports tech, wellness tech, and gaming tech verticals. The firm follows a proprietary three-step methodology (Crystallize-Articulate-Amplify) to deliver media placements in business, tech, and trade publications. It also operates the annual Music Tectonics Conference, a weekly podcast, a community app, and the RPScanner newsletter.

Product overview

Rock Paper Scissors is a PR and marketing agency, not a software product company. The company offers a portfolio of services organized around a proprietary three-step PR methodology (Crystallize, Articulate, Amplify). Core services include PR for media tech companies, marketing services, kick-start packages for crowdfunding, and the RPS Network flexible credit system. The company also operates the Music Tectonics Conference and publishes the RPScanner weekly newsletter. Services are available as customized packages or modular offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Music Tectonics: Music industry conference, podcast, and community platform focused on the intersection of music and technology
• RPScanner
• StoryAmp

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $15M in crowdfunding campaigns supervised
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered notable participants and flagship.

• Music Tectonics Participants (Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group)notable participantsOthersMajor labels Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group participate in the annual Music Tectonics conference as attendees and contributors to discussions on post-streaming revenue models, music-gaming integration, and industry innovation.
• Music Tectonics Participants (Roland, Shure)notable participantsOthersInstrument manufacturers Roland and Shure participate in Music Tectonics conference as industry representatives exploring post-streaming revenue models and music technology innovation.
• NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRock Paper Scissors organizes the Music Innovation Hub at the NAMM Show, a curated exhibit featuring 8 emerging music technology companies including Playtime Engineering, Dog Paw, Groove Thing, Litejam, Omega, Trash Talk Audio, We Are Rewind, and Soundtrap. The hub debuts at NAMM's 125th anniversary.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Turner PR: Boutique consumer and music-tech PR agency based in New York. Direct peer serving similar emerging-tech, consumer-electronics, and music-tech startups with comparable boutique scale.
• Shore Fire Media: Long-standing music and entertainment publicity firm representing artists, labels, and music-tech companies. Most comparable peer given the direct overlap with RPS's music-tech PR focus and shared entertainment-media client base.
• Crenshaw Communications: B2B and tech-focused PR firm with strong business-tech press relationships. Direct peer on the technology-PR dimension, often competing for tech-trade and business-press placements for emerging-tech clients.
• Foundation PR: Tech-forward PR agency serving consumer tech, music tech, and creator economy clients. Direct peer competing for the same music-tech and creator-tech startup accounts.
• BPCM: Brooklyn-based PR and communications agency with a strong music, entertainment, and consumer-tech practice. Direct peer in music-industry PR with comparable boutique scale and premium-publication placement strategy.
• M Group Strategic Communications: Strategic communications firm serving media, entertainment, and tech clients. Direct peer in the music/tech PR space with similar boutique structure and client overlap.
• RH Strategic: Boutique PR firm specializing in tech, entertainment, and emerging-vertical clients. Direct peer in the emerging-tech publicity space with comparable headcount and client mix.
• Beutler Ink: Tech-focused PR agency with a strong media-tech and SaaS client roster. Direct peer on the technology-PR side of RPS's practice, competing for similar tech-trade and business-press placements.
• The Outside PR: Boutique PR agency focused on music, entertainment, and consumer-tech companies. Direct peer sharing the music-tech specialty, mid-market client profile, and reliance on editorial relationships.

Broad incumbents

• 5W Public Relations: Larger, full-service PR agency with dedicated consumer tech, music, and entertainment practices. Broader incumbent competing for some of the same music-tech and media-tech clients at a different scale and price point.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubelink.chtbl.com/MusicTectonics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/dmitrivietze
• Xx.com/rps_pr

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about rock paper scissors, inc.