Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DO I BUY TICKETS?

You can buy tickets a few ways:

1.) Visit RAWartists.com/CityName (make sure you include the name of the city that you’re attending the event in). Click the BUY TICKETS button. If you are supporting a specific artist, select their name on the digital flyer -or- the drop down menu when you complete your purchase.

2.) Click our ARTISTS tab on the home menu at the top of the page. From there you can search for an artist by name. You’ll want to search by artist alias (example: The artist’s given name is Elvis Presley, but they go be ELVIS. Search ELVIS for best result). Click the artist’s profile as it pops up.

3.) Visit our website home page and find a showcase in your city. In the Showcase page, click BUY TICKETS and select your artist to support. Follow the prompts to check-out.

DID MY TICKET PURCHASE GO THROUGH?

If your purchase went through to us, you should receive a confirmation email. Be sure to check your spam folder. If you are still experiencing trouble, click the blue feedback icon on the bottom right of the screen and select the first option "Questions on showcases, artist submissions, or tickets" to get routed to the appropriate showcase location.

HOW DO I RETRIEVE MY TICKETS?

RAW does not mail or distribute paper/physical tickets. A ticket confirmation will be e-mailed to the person that made the purchase. For each ticket that you purchase, you will receive an email with a QR code that you can pull up on your mobile phone to be scanned at the door.

HOW DO I GIVE TICKETS I ALREADY PURCHASED TO SOMEONE ELSE?

Log in to your RAW account, which you were required to create at checkout. Navigate to "My Account" and click on "Purchased Tickets." Update the name and email address on any ticket you want to reassign and hit "Send". Your friend will receive an email with their new ticket and QR code to show at the door.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT WHEN ATTENDING A RAW SHOWCASE?

You'll experience an independent film screening (usually a short, webisode or music video), a pop-up gallery featuring independent visual artists and photographers, fashion shows from up-and-coming local designers, live musical performances, vendor booths featuring local artisans and accessories designers, and live performance art. You'll get a little taste of everything. Combine all this creativity with drinks, fun, and good company!

To enjoy the RAW experience in your city: VIEW & BUY TICKETS TO AN UPCOMING RAW SHOW

HOW DO I CONTACT AN ARTIST?

In order to protect our artist's privacy, we do not distribute our RAW artist’s contact information. However, if you are interested in contacting them, we recommend you visit their profile to link to their social media. We’d love if you mentioned you found them on RAW.

ARE CAMERAS ALLOWED AT THE SHOWCASE?

Yes, feel free to bring your camera. When posting, please be sure to credit RAW Artists.

WHAT IS THE DRESS CODE AT THE SHOWCASE?

Our dress code is upscale trendy attire. Our artists put a lot of work into their showcase. We like to respect that by dressing for the occasion. Slacks, dresses, skirts, dressy tops, collared shirts and/or a nice sportcoat is recommended for the showcase.

AGE RESTRICTION?

Please note that all of our events vary in age restriction based on the venue. Because of the sale of alcohol, many of our venues are limited to 21 years of age or older (18+ in Australia). The exact restrictions are noted on each event flyer. For specific questions about the venue accommodations, please contact the venue directly. Because our events can be loud, crowded, and can have explicit content, bringing children is not advised, even if the event is all ages.

I'D LOVE TO BE A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY! How do I sign up?

We'd love to have you! Please register and submit your work here!

I'VE SUBMITTED MY WORK – NOW WHAT?

RAW events are booked several months out. All submissions are reviewed first by a RAW director in each respective city. After review, if there are any availabilities and it's a good fit, a director will contact you about the show. We would love to showcase every artist that submits to RAW. However, our events have limited capacity for artists and we cannot guarantee a showcase opening for every submission. Representatives in each city hand-select artists they believe to be the best fit for the event. Due to a high volume of submissions, you will only be contacted to be booked for a showcase.

Please note that RAWartists.com profiles are reserved for artists who have been booked/shown in one of our events. Your submission is not live on our site until you've joined the RAW community.

Let us fill you in. We've got the whole 411 below.

RAW is an international arts organization, for artists by artists. We have no investors and started this all with passion, blood, sweat and elbow grease. We are 100% sustained by ticket sales to our RAW showcases. We are accountable only to our artists; we have no shareholders, board members or venture capitalists in our corner. We built this organization from scratch.

RAW provides a platform for independent artists. Our platform exists both online—through our website and social media—and offline through showcase events (in over 70 cities, internationally).

Our website features artist’s profiles from around the world. It is an online hub where you can discover independent filmmakers, fashion designers, musicians, visual artists, performing artists, hair stylists, makeup artists, accessories designers, makers, tech designers, and photographers. Our showcases consist of short film screenings, fashion shows, a pop-up art and photo gallery, performances, hair and makeup shows and accessories vendors.

Artists are hand-selected to participate in RAW (read more on that below). Artists receive an opportunity to showcase and sell their work at these events (to a crowd of people that probably would have never been exposed to it otherwise).

We bring artists to the people, and people to artists. The showcase events aren’t stuffy — they are fun, loud, and colorful and are usually hosted in a music venue. These are alternative venues that accommodate all of the different genres of art that we showcase. We’re not a white wall gallery or Mercedes Benz Fashion Week—nor are we trying to be. We’re RAW and our mission is serve the creative community worldwide. We think outside of the box to provide opportunities for artists to be seen, heard and loved.

IS THERE A FEE TO PARTICIPATE?

Yes; well, kind of. There is a showcase fee to participate in RAW. However, we are aware of the starting artist’s plight and that paying a fee is not always possible. Instead of artists paying out-of-pocket upfront, they are encouraged to sell tickets to the event to make up for the participation costs. Ticket prices vary per market. Please visit individual event pages to view ticket fees.

Participating RAW Artists commit to selling a predetermined number of tickets to the event they are showcasing in. An artist is able to enlist their supporters and network to sponsor their show. Once they have done so, the show costs are completely paid for. Not only does this contribute to the costs of the show's production, but it helps encourage our artists to promote and, as a result, each show becomes a group effort and helps build an eclectic audience of guests who are all there to support the arts. It creates more exposure for all who are involved. The ticket commitment for artists varies per city, as all markets are now individually owned and operated through our licensing program, PLATFORM by RAW Artists™. Please contact your city specific team via their contact form for more information on participating (e.g. www.RAWartists.com/LosAngeles/Contact).

We have built an online system to help you crowdfund your fee easily. So you technically don’t have to pay anything if you’re willing to put in the work. Most everyone has several friends, family members or co-workers that would help support them to be in the show, and they get to attend!

If you don’t sell all of your tickets you simply pay the difference a week before the show and are able to add guests to the list to account for that amount paid.

WHAT DO I RECEIVE AS AN ARTIST?*

A ton! Participating RAW artists receive:

• A profile portfolio on RAWartists.com to upload pics, videos, MP3s and more information on yourself and your work. (reserved only for RAW artists)
• Promotion on our localized social media outlets.
• Placement in the RAW Showcase Event (a showcase with 600-1000+ attendees).
• Professional head shots and photos of your work, collection, performance, band or whatever you happen to be presenting (also great for portfolios, social media or websites).
• Complimentary admission into any RAW show +1 guest, forever.
• Education: We work really hard to get you advice from the experts on different facets of the creative professional world. Our blog and other programs are places you can educate yourself.
• We have strategic partnerships with organizations, companies and industry players to continue to bring more opportunities to the forefront.

* In 2021, we introduced our PLATFORM by RAW Artists™ licensing program. All locations are now run by independent local creative entrepreneurs. These licensees choose their own artist value packages so some of what is listed here may vary and include more or less of a certain participation perk.

CAN I SELL MY WORK AT A RAW EVENT?

Yes, please do! We take 0% commission. RAW artists have sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of artwork, accessories, clothing, CDs, and prints at our RAW events.

OK, TOTALLY GET IT. I'M IN! WHAT'S NEXT?

First, make sure that you have submitted here. A RAW team member will review your submission. If we like what we see/hear, you’ll be contacted. You will need to complete a Selected Artist Interview with the RAW representative in your city. If everyone is on the same page and committed we’ll make sure you are officially ‘booked’ into the event and we’ll guide you through the process.

BUT, WHY SHOULD ARTISTS HAVE TO SELL TICKETS?

While we wish everything we need to put on a big beneficial showcase event came free, the reality is, it doesn’t. We pay our staff modest salaries; we provide them with medical benefits (we need them healthy to run great shows); we have venue fees, insurance, equipment rentals, our media crews, production assistants, and the never-ending list of expenses that comes with growing an international network. We would rather have our artists invest in our mission and push it forward, than be accountable to shareholders. So, this is our creative way of making RAW completely for artists, by artists.

WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO SELL TICKETS?

We know that RAW isn’t for everyone. Selling tickets takes dedication and work, just like starting your creative career. You have to know how to ask your supporters for their help. If it’s not your jam, that’s okay.

ARE YOU A NON-PROFIT?

No. When we first started RAW in 2009, we thought it may be a good idea to be a non-profit. However, after art grants continued to be cut down to nothing, we decided we could do more and grow to other communities faster by going our own way. It felt better to spend our time building great showcases instead of throwing fundraising galas to pay our expenses.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ARTIST SUCCESS STORIES?

While we can’t take credit for the years of work an artist might put in before and after meeting RAW, a lot of our artists have told us that RAW has changed their lives and careers for the better. Musicians have been signed, artists have sold work and gained gallery placement, and designers have been sold in stores and have even won Project Runway. We are just happy to be a part of their journey. You can read more about what people say here.

WHERE CAN I SEE MY TOTAL TICKETS SOLD?

You may view your current tickets sold at any time by visiting your Artist Dashboard

1. Login to your RAW account
2. Select Artist Dashboard
3. Your Artist Dashboard will default to the Ticket Page where you can view the amount sold, ticket deadline and how much you’ve made via the RAW Artist Promotions Program

HOW CAN I REMOVE MY RAW PROFILE OR VIDEO?

We’re bummed to see you go, but if you prefer to have your profile or video removed, Contact Us and we can take care of that for you.

I'M A MODEL AND WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN A SHOW.

We do not book nor select models for our showcases. The featured fashion designers in the show coordinate and select their own models. However, if you are interested, you can submit to that city, or contact us, stating the RAW market and city you are interested in. We can then connect you with a director/representative in the city who can inform you of any featured designers looking for models for their shows.

WANT TO VOLUNTEER FOR A SHOWCASE!

Awesome! We can always use more helping hands the night of the showcase! We have a volunteer program where you can earn prizes by volunteering your time. Contact Us and include your name, city location and email address. We will send it off to one of our Artist Experience Directors.

We have a volunteer program where you can earn prizes by volunteering your time. Contact Us and include your name, city location and email address. We will send it off to one of our Artist Experience Directors.

I WANT TO WORK FOR RAW – HOW DO I APPLY?

Think your community needs something like RAW and want to spearhead its launch? Visit our Job Opportunities page to learn about any openings within our organization.

If you find that your question has not been answered after reading this page, please GIVE US A SHOUT.