# Same Same But Different Music Festival

Be part of what makes us Different.

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/ssbd.2026
- Entity ID: wefunder:company:147086
- Last updated: 2026-10-25T13:04:11Z
- Generated at: 2026-10-25T13:16:40Z

## Quick facts
- One of the Fastest-Growing Independent Festivals in the world.
- Community Loved! 30% YoY growth and a higher than industry norm of 40% attendee return rate.
- Owners get festival perks like tickets, annual meetups, and creative votes.
- Proven Track Record - 7 Years of Successful Events at Lake Perris and 25,542 attendees to date!
- Built by Fans, For Fans. Over 50% of SSBD's growth is driven by word of mouth and community advocacy
- Grown to $3M+ in annual revenue with no major outside capital or corporate backing.
- Own a stake in the parent company of SSBD, unlocking opportunities across all future events

## Active fundraises
- wefunder:fundraise:172636: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:102110: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:172635: 4(a)(6) open (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:102109: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)

## Story
2027 Updates: Already an investor? Your new investment ‘tops-up’ your perks! You helped us get here. Under the top-up program, your prior eligible investment combines with your new investment to determine the higher benefit tier you reach.For example, $1,000 invested previously plus $1,500 now reaches the $2,500 tier and its 2027 VIP benefit. A prior $5,000 investment plus $5,000 now reaches the $10,000 VIP-for-life tier.**Only your new investment counts toward this campaign's new-money goal. Prior annual-ticket perks do not renew automatically, and the program does not create duplicate admissions or an additional benefit tier above $50,000.Already bought a 2027 Community Tier ticket?When a qualifying investment earns a matching or higher pass, we will verify the investment and refund the purchased ticket.Some places you attend. Others become part of you.The best part of Same Same But Different has never been something we could put on a lineup.It is the stranger who invites you to their dance party. The costume that makes your whole group laugh. The moment you stop worrying about how you look and start remembering how good it feels to play.The music brings us together. What we create with each other is the reason to come back.When we first invited our community to invest in SSBD, the idea was simple: the people who care about this place should have an opportunity to share in its future.Now, we have more to show you.Following the 2026 festival, our 2027 Community Tier bought 2,554 passes in nine calendar days. That is more than two and a half times the previous Community Tier, which ran for 47 days.That response shows a community willing to commit early. It shows a community that trusts the brand of SSBD beyond just a lineup offering. Most importantly, it gives us a stronger starting point for the work ahead.We want to keep improving the festival without losing its intimacy. One of the ways we will do that is by bringing the SSBD spirit into more gatherings throughout the year. And make decisions that support the people who bring this place to life, not just the next sales milestone.That is why we are opening another opportunity to invest.For those who joined us before, thank you for helping us reach this chapter.For those who missed the first opportunity, this is an invitation to learn what we are building and decide whether you would like to be part of it.Together we can build a business that can keep making room for the things that matter: friendship, creativity, childlike wonder, and maybe even a little music ;) .A Letter from the FoundersTo our SSBD family,When Peter and I started Same Same But Different, we wanted to create a place where people could feel a little more free. Free to be themselves, to try something new, to connect with someone they might never have met otherwise. A place where it felt natural to be curious, generous, and a little ridiculous.Over the years, that spirit has become something our whole community carries. Our crew, artists, volunteers, and everyone who walks through the gates help shape what SSBD feels like. You bring your own ideas, welcome each other in, and give this place a life of its own.We call it childlike wonder. And the longer we do this, the more I understand how much care it takes to keep making room for it.When we first invited the community to invest, it came from a belief Peter and I have held from the beginning: the people who bring SSBD to life should have an opportunity to share in its future. Thank you to everyone who took that step with us. You helped move that idea into something tangible.Now, we’re opening a final opportunity to be part of what comes next.If you joined us in the first round, thank you for believing in where this could go. We hope you are as happy with some of the first moves we’ve made as we are. If you’re considering it for the first time, I invite you to read about the business and the risks, ask us questions, and decide whether this feels right for you.However you’ve been part of this community, thank you for helping create a place where people can keep finding music, friendship, and a little more wonder. There’s so much worth caring for here. I’m excited about what we can build together.With love, wonder, and gratitude,Brad & PeterCo-Founders, Same Same But DifferentMost Festivals Today Are Pressured Into Selling OutWe’ve all seen it — the bigger a festival gets, the more it loses what made it special.The beginning phase: 1,000 - 10,000 attendees. The beginning years of a festival's life. The culture is amazing, the acts are the right size, and the community is the #1 priority. (We have capped our attendance at 7,500 specifically to stay community focused.)The growth phase: 10,000 - 25,000 attendees. This is when attendee growth becomes the focus. The acts become more mainstream, new attendees move in, the festival's culture begins to fade.The "purchased by [LARGE COMPANY] phase": 25,000 - 100,000+ attendees. This is when profit becomes the only priority and ends up driving the culture, community and the soul of the festival till it's unrecognizable from its early roots.Our Simple Fix...We’re building a profitable festival and keeping it intimate on purpose. Our dedication to a cap attendance of 7,500 ensures we protect the SSBD magic.And now, we’re inviting you to be part of it... as an owner.Your investment through WeFunder helps us:Stay independent and aligned with our values.Improve the experience every year.Expand our brand through new events that look to model and capture SSBD's culture.Join a passionate inner circle that will shape the future of immersive, independent events.Profitability Without Selling OutWe don't have to be massive for this to make sense. Our projections show that even under 7,500 tickets sold we still can make a strong profit on the one festival alone.However, we have also begun to produce other small immersive events (500-1000 attendees) throughout the year with lots more to come.One way to think of this is that our model is to scale creatively, not corporately.**For a number of factors, future projections cannot guaranteed.Festival Perks - Exclusive To InvestorsAt Same Same But Different, we believe our investors should be more than a VIP, they are part of the inner circle.Every investment level comes with unique perks designed to connect you more deeply with the community, the magic, and the future of SSBD.Besides ownership in an amazing company, you'll also get festival perks (based on investment level) as an official owner:Business Highlights2,554 passes booked for 2027 (2.6x last year's sales over 47 days) - Our community bought earlier than ever, showing trust in the brand.2026 ticket sales grew 15.9% from 2025, average 16.5% YoY growth.65.6%+ Pre-Sale Retention: Nearly 2 in 3 buyers had bought before. Demonstrating strong community loyalty.$3M+ Annual Revenue: Achieved through strategic brand partnerships, ticketing revenue, side events and food & beverage revenue.2025 profitability is shown after removing taxes, interest, debt pay-down, removing staff equity grants which were counted as expenses and paying previous year's (2022-2024) obligations still owed. Actual profit and loss was ($-222k) for 2025.Future Revenue Projections2027Projected Net Profit: $263kProjected Paid Attendees: 56072028Projected Net Profit: $566kProjected Paid Attendees: 6168**Forward-looking projections are an estimate based on trends and cannot be guaranteed.ShopTickets: a better ticketing model.For the 2027 sale, SSBD moved ticketing to ShopTickets. Its 75-cent ticketing charge helped support a lower-fee offer, alongside our decision to pass the fees back to the community with a lower opening GA price of $295.True to our core mission, we chose to pass the value back to the community rather than treating the platform change only as a margin opportunity. This was a strategic move for SSBD on a multitude of levels.Not paying a % based fee on all of our tickets will ultimately lower SSBD's expenses by a little over 5% projected. This savings will add up to a multiple six-figure amount each year in savings to our bottom line and to our customers. Additionally, we believe the 5% ownership stake in our own ticketing platform will result in additional potential revenue streams for the festival.SSBD owns a 5% stake in ShopTickets. It also gives SSBD an optional priority investment right in covered future financings, on the economic terms offered to outside investors, up to a 49% fully diluted ownership cap that includes the full award. Additional ownership requires additional investment. This is not 49% ownership today.ShopTickets will remain a separate business, and investing in SSBD does not give an investor direct ShopTickets shares.How will I get paid back?When you invest in SSBD, you’re not just supporting a festival—you’re joining us on a path to growth and shared success.We believe in creating real opportunities for our community to prosper, and we’ve structured this investment so that your support has the potential to reward you back in meaningful ways.Here are the ways you could see returns on your investment:Profitable Operations - As the business operations are more and more profitable, we will pay out dividend distributions. At our projected profitability, this could be in just a few years.Resale of your ownership stake at a later date - secondary markets may open up to re-sell your ownership either through WeFunder or elsewhere. As our company becomes worth more, you could sell your ownership for more. WeFunder secondary markets are not guaranteed at this point and are only a roadmap potential.Acquisition or Merger - Although our goal is to remain completely independent, we can't ignore listing this outcome here. A company purchasing either a part or all of Same Same But Different that is the right (sized) partner, for the right reasons, and allowing us the ability to hold true to our vision — this could be something management would consider.**Forward-looking projections are an estimate based on trends and cannot be guaranteed.Why Now?Same Same But Different has always been about community and now, it’s time for the community to truly become part of the festival itself. Before inviting you in as owners, we wanted to show what was possible when people came together to create something real. We needed to prove that the world craved a shared, human experience like SSBD, and that through organic growth and collective support, the festival could stand strong and thrive.Why You?Because SSBD has always been stronger with you in it. You’re the reason this festival feels like family, and that’s why we want you as true partners in what comes next.Investing in SSBD isn’t just about funding a festival. It’s about growing a community-driven movement where authenticity, connection, and creativity thrive.Together, we can shape the future of independent festivals and make it even better, together.Have you seen the documentary?Haven’t been and want to know what we’re about? Check out the documentary that was made about us to get a better idea of who we are.Already been and want to relive the magic? The documentary is the perfect way to revisit those moments and feel it all over again.

## FAQ
1. **Hello SSBD Team, thank you for opening up this opportunity for the community to invest. I was strongly considering it, not for a financial return, but for the chance to be part of an attendee-owned festival that preserves the unique magic you’ve created. My primary motivation ...**
   - Thank you for taking the time to share such thoughtful feedback. The SPV structure simply helps us stay compliant and operationally smooth, but our intention has always been to protect the soul of the festival while giving our community a deeper stake in its success. Whether you invest or not, we want to hear your feedback and we want the community to be involved in the direction of this festival. This WeFunder is a great way, we feel, to stay connected with the community as owners. As for ad...
2. **Hi team! Thank you for sharing, I'm pretty stoked for this opportunity. I’ve reviewed the Form C and offering materials and had a few detailed follow up questions. Debt Restructuring: The use of proceeds mentions “debt restructuring.” Can you clarify which specific debts will ...**
   - Thanks so much for the thoughtful questions, we really appreciate your due diligence and excitement about joining our community. I would also invite you to join our Zoom webinar we'll host this Tuesday at 6pm PT. https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z4YMmwaOTgWAvkty_GbtFA Debt Restructuring: We’ve already refinanced most of our debt into longer-term, lower-interest notes. The only short-term debt we plan to retire from this raise are the three 1% bridge loans made in 2025 by Brad Sweet...
3. **Are you looking to create a brand a scale this aggressively to 10 events a year all over America?if not y not**
   - Hey Eliezer. Great question! Our growth strategy is focused scale, not rapid cloning for the sake of numbers. Yes, we see Same Same But Different becoming a multi-location festival brand, but not 10 events a year scattered across the country / world anytime soon. We’re building a flagship experience at Lake Perris that we can replicate carefully in select markets where the vibe, scenic setting, and culture can truly thrive. So to answer, why not 10 events a year right now? Because in our opin...
4. **Do you have or hold any live events in Atlanta or the Southeast? Please advise. Thanks.**
   - Not yet. Right now our flagship event is in Southern California, and we’re focused on scaling that core experience.
5. **I am trying to contact Rhino Hide for updates from the startup. I read because of the name, there is a discrepancy. How do I contact the startup? An Investor - Linda Fraser**
   - hey Linda, looks like you're referring to another company. I'd suggest reaching out to WeFunder support to see if they can help.

## Team
- Brad Sweet (CEO and Co-Founder)
- Peter Eichar (COO, Co-Founder & Festival Director)
- Michael Ault (Director Of Marketing)
- Hannah Choi (Volunteer Director)
- Kris Zarif (Head Of Strategic Partnership and Revenue)
- Tyler Vitullo (Production Director)
- Tim Valaski (Head of Guest Services)

## Q&A
- Q: Are you looking to create a brand a scale this aggressively to 10 events a year all over America?if not y not
  - A: Hey Eliezer. Great question! Our growth strategy is focused scale, not rapid cloning for the sake of numbers. Yes, we see Same Same But Different becoming a multi-location festival brand, but not 10 events a year scattered across the country / world anytime soon. We’re building a flagship experience at Lake Perris that we can replicate carefully in select markets where the vibe, scenic setting, and culture can truly thrive. So to answer, why not 10 events a year right now? Because in our opinion...massive, fast expansion is how festivals lose their soul, and their investors’ money. We’re here to build a long-lasting brand. Something that is truly different. Our model is: - Strengthen and grow our flagship - Add 1–2 highly curated events where we control the environment (1-5 years) - Maintain the intimacy, community, and magic people love about SSBD So yes, we’re scaling. But we’ll scale smart, profitable, and strategically, keeping our values and quality at the center.
- Q: I see that the $1000 investment provides the ability to get a ticket for 2026. What is the cost/availabilty and would there be any options to get a total of 2-5 GA tickets?
- Q: When does the campaign end?
  - A: We’re planning to wrap up the campaign by December 31st, or sooner if we reach our maximum fundraising goal before then.
- Q: I am trying to contact Rhino Hide for updates from the startup. I read because of the name, there is a discrepancy. How do I contact the startup? An Investor - Linda Fraser
  - A: hey Linda, looks like you're referring to another company. I'd suggest reaching out to WeFunder support to see if they can help.
- Q: Do you have or hold any live events in Atlanta or the Southeast? Please advise. Thanks.
  - A: Not yet. Right now our flagship event is in Southern California, and we’re focused on scaling that core experience.
- Q: Hi team! Thank you for sharing, I'm pretty stoked for this opportunity. I’ve reviewed the Form C and offering materials and had a few detailed follow up questions. Debt Restructuring: The use of proceeds mentions “debt restructuring.” Can you clarify which specific debts will be retired, and whether any of those repayments benefit insiders or related parties (founders, management, or affiliated entities)? Founder Compensation & Distributions: Could you provide a brief overview of founder/management compensation and any member distributions for the past two fiscal years, and whether any are projected during or after this round? Cap Table & Management Units: The operating agreement amendment refers to “membership units specifically allocated to management.” Could you share what percentage of total ownership those represent today, and whether those units are subject to any vesting or performance conditions? Time Commitment: The filing notes that Peter Eichar and Michael Ault are part-time officers. Could you outline their expected hours or ongoing roles for the next 24–36 months, and whether additional full-time leadership is being hired to ensure continuity? Use-of-Proceeds Oversight: Finally, can you confirm whether the festival’s working budget allocates funds in line with the stated use-of-proceeds categories (expansion, marketing, staffing, tech, cash reserve, debt refinancing), and if any safeguards exist to ensure that capital is applied accordingly? Thank you for taking the time to clarify. This level of transparency helps prospective investors and the community assess alignment and long term focus. Stay Different!
  - A: Thanks so much for the thoughtful questions, we really appreciate your due diligence and excitement about joining our community. I would also invite you to join our Zoom webinar we'll host this Tuesday at 6pm PT. https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z4YMmwaOTgWAvkty_GbtFA Debt Restructuring: We’ve already refinanced most of our debt into longer-term, lower-interest notes. The only short-term debt we plan to retire from this raise are the three 1% bridge loans made in 2025 by Brad Sweet (me), Joel Nathanson, and Michael Ault. It functioned as a temporary ticketing advance and is contractually the first debt due. All three of us have a good amount of money into this, we were happy to put in this amount to help the business when our ticketing company would not provide an additional advance we thought we would have. The maturity date is nearing on all three of those notes so they would be the first to retire. Founder Compensation & Distributions: Compensation in 2024 totaled $156K across Brad Sweet, Tim Valaski, Peter Eichar and Mike Ault combined, with $50,000 reinvested into this WeFunder round from that compensation as well. No member distributions have been made in the past two years, and none are planned until we’re sustainably profitable. Cap Table & Management Units: Management units represent roughly 15–19% of total ownership depending on this raise size and are fully vested. Time Commitment: I work 40–60 hrs/week full-time; Peter averages 10–40 hrs (seasonal, raising a lot close to the festival), and Michael about 10-20 hrs/week on marketing strategy. We may add a part-time marketing project manager to handle execution while maintaining our core leadership team. This all varies a lot depending on what we have happening. Use of Proceeds & Oversight: We operate on a detailed departmental budget structure aligned with our stated use-of-proceeds. SSBD is a manager-operated LLC — the CEO oversees day-to-day operations with member oversight by majority vote if ever needed. Thanks again for the thoughtful review and for considering joining the SSBD community.
- Q: Hello SSBD Team, thank you for opening up this opportunity for the community to invest. I was strongly considering it, not for a financial return, but for the chance to be part of an attendee-owned festival that preserves the unique magic you’ve created. My primary motivation was to help ensure the interactivity, silliness, and participatory spirit of SSBD doesn't get lost to commercial pressures, which so often happens as festivals grow. After reviewing the investment details, particularly the use of an SPV which consolidates voting power, I've realized an investment like this is more of a vote of confidence in the current leadership's vision rather than a way for the community to have a direct say in the festival's future. For that reason, I've decided not to invest at this time. While I had an amazing time this year and love what you've built, I am concerned about the direction things are heading. The push for up-charges on add-ons like Nakey Island and VIP sections feels like a step toward the kind of commercialization that can change the soul of an event. I understand you are under significant financial pressure, which is clear from the financials you've shared, and that this often drives these kinds of decisions. I hope you can navigate these financial challenges while holding onto the core ethos that makes SSBD so special. Wishing you the best of luck with the campaign and the future of the festival.
  - A: Thank you for taking the time to share such thoughtful feedback. The SPV structure simply helps us stay compliant and operationally smooth, but our intention has always been to protect the soul of the festival while giving our community a deeper stake in its success. Whether you invest or not, we want to hear your feedback and we want the community to be involved in the direction of this festival. This WeFunder is a great way, we feel, to stay connected with the community as owners. As for add-ons like Nakey Island and VIP, I completely understand your concern. Those experiences were created to help balance rising costs of making those happen for people that wanted more, while keeping general admission accessible. The goal has always been to expand what’s possible at the festival, not create separation. I’d love for you to join our community livestream on Tuesday at 6pm PST, where we’ll be sharing more about the vision behind this raise and how we’re staying true to SSBD’s participatory roots. You can register here: 👉 https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z4YMmwaOTgWAvkty_GbtFA Thank you again for your honesty and passion. Voices like yours are exactly what keep us grounded as we grow.
- Q: Hello. Would like to know is there any plan to allow more investors?
  - A: There will be yes, we are going to be opening back up for investment in mid-November.