Same Same But Different Is Pioneering a Fan Ownership Model for Indie Festivals: ‘We Want Their Input’

Following a sold-out 2025 variation that marked its astir palmy twelvemonth yet, the Same Same But Different (SSBD) Festival is breaking caller crushed by inviting fans to bargain into its future. 

The Southern California festival, held each September astatine Lake Perris State Park successful Riverside County, has launched a first-of-its-kind nationalist ownership run done WeFunder, allowing attendees to put straight successful the company. The brushed launch, unfastened lone to 2025 attendees, raised $409,000 successful its archetypal week. Now, WeFunder is opening the concern accidental to the wide public, making SSBD 1 of the archetypal euphony festivals successful the U.S. to prosecute what co-founder Brad Sweet is calling a “fan-funded ownership model.” 

“For arsenic small arsenic $100, fans tin determination from conscionable attending to becoming part-owners,” says Sweet of the offering, which starts Friday (Oct. 10). “We’re making definite SSBD grows with the radical who made it imaginable — and that it stays autarkic for years to come.” 

Founded 2018 by musicians and friends surviving unneurotic successful Southern California, Same Same But Different has steadily built a loyal pursuing astir its lakeside setting, immersive creation and eclectic euphony lineup. This year, the festival capped attendance astatine 5,000 — a sellout — and achieved a 34% year-over-year summation successful summons sales, beating its ain projections, the festival says. 

“Our taxable this twelvemonth was ‘less but better,’” Sweet explains. “Rather than grow and bash everything that comes crossed the plate, we wanted to hone successful connected what we already bash good and marque it better, smoother, much dialed in.” 

Sweet says SSBD’s extremity is to headdress attendance permanently astatine astir 7,500 to support the intimate, community-driven ambiance that defines the event. “It’s a reflection of the festivals I loved the most,” helium says. “You tin inactive enactment profitable and beryllium a concern that makes consciousness — but support that intimacy that makes it special.” 

Because SSBD is attempting to rise wealth done WeFunder, it is required to disclose interior fiscal accusation to the Securities and Exchange Commision (SEC). According to the company’s nationalist filings, SSBD has $242,811 successful assets, much than treble the erstwhile year, with $234,620 successful currency connected hand. The institution is carrying $726,962 successful abbreviated word debt, up from $353,726 successful the erstwhile year, and semipermanent indebtedness of $1.5 million, up from $1.1 cardinal the erstwhile year. The institution reported $2.2 cardinal successful gross this year, somewhat up from the erstwhile year, and antagonistic nett income of $911,994, down somewhat from the erstwhile year. 

Under the caller WeFunder model, fans tin acquisition existent shares successful the company. “This is existent ownership,” says Sweet. “We filed with the SEC, truthful it’s existent — not conscionable crowdfunding. It’s ownership, perks, and participation.” 

Investors tin bargain successful for arsenic small arsenic $100, with perks starting astatine $250 and scaling up to beingness VIP passes for investments of $10,000. At the $500 level, investors volition beryllium invited to yearly meetups and aboriginal entree events — including a cannabis-themed amusement this November wherever Sweet plans to sermon adjacent year’s plans with the community. 

Investors astatine higher levels volition person opportunities to measurement successful connected originative decisions, similar lineup choices oregon creation installations, though voting rights successful institution operations volition stay with festival management. 

“We didn’t privation hundreds of radical voting connected concern matters,” Sweet says with a laugh. “But creatively, we privation their input. These are the radical who recognize the culture.” 

Sweet says helium wanted to beryllium that autarkic festivals could enactment autarkic — and financially steadfast — without selling to Live Nation oregon AEG. “We’re doing this due to the fact that we’re profitable,” helium emphasizes. “We didn’t privation this to consciousness similar a donation. We wanted fans to cognize they’re investing successful a beardown concern with a future.” 

If successful, investors could person dividends wrong a fewer years, arsenic the festival grows into its 7,500-attendee ceiling. Sweet says immoderate aboriginal acquisition — though not the extremity — would wage retired investors arsenic alongside founders. 

“This mightiness go a caller fiscal exemplary for however autarkic festivals tin enactment independent,” Sweet says. “Raising funds is often what pushes early-stage festivals into the arms of large corporations. This could beryllium a mode to alteration that — to fto the assemblage that loves you besides ain you.”