How a Community-Focused Music Festival Is Rethinking Ticket Sales

Same Same But Different (SSBD) is a Southern California electronic music festival founded in 2017. Promoted as the “little festival that could,” SSBD has spent years building a brand around community, generosity and independence.

It plans to stay small and independent. Organizers say they will cap attendance at 7,500 to preserve intimacy at its Lake Perris beachside site.

In 2024, after the nearby Lucidity Festival canceled and said it could not offer refunds, SSBD offered free admission to Lucidity ticket holders even though it had no connection to that event.

The $0-Down Ticket Model

Last week the festival announced it will be using a $0-down ticket model for a second year. Tickets for the 2026 edition — schedule for September 25–27 — are currently available through a waitlist. To join the waitlist, festivalgoers select the ticket type and pre-authorize a credit card payment, locking in the current price. Once the lineup is announced, those on the waitlist have 24 hours to cancel before payment is processed.

“We do not think fans should feel pressured to commit before they know who is playing. This model gives people time to see the lineup, make an informed decision, and still have a fair shot at Tier 1 pricing. At the same time, fans who already know they want to be part of SSBD can lock in early and know they will have access before the festival sells out,” said Brad Sweet, co-founder of SSBD.

The $0-down ticket model is similar to a buy now, pay later (BNPL) option but it does not come with installments or interest rates, and it avoids using third-party financing altogether. While the tactic does not guarantee organizers advance funds, it gives them a clear view of early intent ahead of time — and generates goodwill.

"We wanted to remove the uncertainty of multiple price bumps and surprise increases, and instead give fans a clearer understanding of what they’re signing up for from the start, when price hikes occur and how much they will be," said Sweet.

Supporting Ticketing Advances

The model also enables confidently accessing advances from ticketing platform to help with cash flow. SSBD parent company's financial statements show that it was able to access a ticketing advance of $408,266 in 2024, this was before it started offering $0-down tickets in 2025.

According to organizers, 86% of those that joined the waitlist last year converted to paid orders, with the remainder either canceling or having their card declined.

While the tactic is on brand for SSBD, it may not be as appealing for planners in a B2B context where attendance decisions often go through multiple procurement hoops. Soft reservations may also be deemed too risky for organizers as they are not effectively booked revenue.

The Harsh Business Reality of Festivals

Earlier this year the festival closed a community funding round that raised more than $700,000 to date from 125+ investors on Wefunder. The campaign pitched ownership, festival perks — including lifetime tickets for those investing $10,000 or more — and creative input, alongside the promise of keeping the event independent as it grows.

Though the fundraising campaign hit its goals, it also revealed the difficult economics facing independent festivals like SSBD, still carrying debt from the Covid pandemic. Its 2024 financial statements shows a net loss of $911,994. For its funding pitch, SSBD leans heavily on projections for future profitability, built on the idea that the festival can stay small and still work financially.