James Min moved to Los Angeles from Australia and gave his first performance ever on the SDFTP open mic stage. He gained about 30 followers off one song and the crowd embraced him like a regular.
@jamezmin
History · Scale year
2022
Two rooms at once, then a residency that never let up.
On March 10 the brand ran two rooms in the same building: For The Ladies upstairs at Los Globos and the debut of Something Alternative For The People downstairs, both holding more than 350 people.
In May the weekly open mic began at Los Globos with Jeremy Hecht on the mic. By August the account passed 10,000 followers and put the growth plainly: 2019 events averaged 125 people, and now more than that stand in line before doors open. On October 25 the first Peppermint Club open mic sold out and the first in line tradition was born.
- Two rooms, one night
- March 10
- Weekly open mic begins
- May
- Followers passed
- 10,000
- Peppermint Club debut
- Oct 25
The moments that mattered
2022, as it happened.
Ranked against the rest of 2022, so the founding era competes on its own terms instead of against the years that came after.
Kaira sang and the crowd started emptying their pockets, laying everything they had on the stage. It became one of the defining images of what the SDFTP audience gives back to performers.
@bykairadotcom
3 photosChess took home an $800 grand prize at the open mic after the audience voted through claps on the Clap for Encore app. It was the first big cash moment of the series and set the template for future competitions.
@thisischess
3 photosFor its three year anniversary in September 2022, SDFTP took over Catch One and hosted what it called the biggest open mic in Los Angeles, with close to 700 people in the building. Free tickets moved fast and the night became a landmark for the brand.
SDFTP announced Pass The Aux, a weekly listening series inside a private A list music studio where artists play songs and get real feedback. The announcement reel alone pulled over 32,000 plays and 580 comments, and the series became the second pillar of the brand.
The full year
Everything else from 2022.
21 moments in total, every one verified against the post it came from.
January 15 · for the ladies
On Instagram ↗Ladies night returns at Aced DTLA
The 2/2/22 comeback show announcement becomes one of the account's biggest posts of the era with 882 likes and 184 comments. New and familiar faces fill the room and the format is back for good.
March 5 · for the ladies
On Instagram ↗Two events at once at Los Globos
Los Globos hosts Ladies night upstairs and Something Alternative downstairs on the same March night, each room holding 350 plus. The double header shows how far the formats have scaled.
March 10 · alternative
On Instagram ↗Something Alternative For The People debuts at Los Globos
The format gets its full name for the March 10, 2022 show in the downstairs room at Los Globos, running simultaneously with Ladies night upstairs. Rock and alt shows become a recurring pillar from here.
May 25 · open mic
On Instagram ↗YouTube star and singer Gabbie Hanna came through the open mic in its very first month and supported local plant vendor Bae Leaf. A celebrity in the building three weeks into the series was an early sign the room had gravity.
@gabbiehanna, @bae.leaf
July 14 · open mic
On Instagram ↗Weeks into the weekly run, nearly 200 people lined up outside Los Globos waiting for a chance to hit the stage. The line itself became part of the show, with interviews, trivia and freestyles happening on the sidewalk.
July 28 · open mic
On Instagram ↗The open mic sold out two weeks in a row in its first summer. The line kept growing every Wednesday and the team committed to running it weekly.
July 29 · open mic
On Instagram ↗K Starr came to three events in a row and his name stayed in the bucket. He came back a fourth time, won the guaranteed slot giveaway, and finally hit the stage. Persistence is a core SDFTP story and his was one of the first.
@kstarrofficial
August 7 · open mic
On Instagram ↗SDFTP announced its first Saturday night open mic on Hollywood Blvd at a 500 plus capacity room, the biggest event yet at that point. The crowd followed the brand from Silver Lake to Hollywood.
August 11 · open mic
On Instagram ↗A group of artists drove six hours straight to attend the open mic knowing that performing was never guaranteed. They took the leap anyway, and the room celebrated them for it.
August 14 · open mic
On Instagram ↗The crowd erupted when Big Mike The Virgo was announced as the winner of the big Hollywood Blvd Saturday open mic. It was the breakout night for one of the most beloved figures in the SDFTP community.
@bigmikethevirgo1
August 27 · milestone
On Instagram ↗10,000 followers and a line longer than year one's crowds
Three years in, the account hits 10k followers. The caption notes that the 2019 events averaged 125 people, and now more than that stand in line before doors open.
September 16 · open mic
On Instagram ↗She showed up six and a half hours early and became the first woman ever to be first in line, at one point waiting with her husband and her baby. The team made sure she hit the stage for that dedication.
September 25 · milestone
On Instagram ↗Three year anniversary at Catch One
The third anniversary is celebrated with LA's biggest open mic night at Catch One. The announcement post alone pulls over 1,100 likes as the community shows up for the milestone.
October 25 · milestone
On Instagram ↗First Peppermint Club open mic sells out
The open mic and industry mixer debuts at The Peppermint Club on October 25, 2022 and sells out. One artist waits in line from the early morning hours to guarantee a performance slot, setting a first in line tradition that continues for years.
October 29 · open mic
On Instagram ↗The first open mic at The Peppermint Club, one of the most iconic stages in Los Angeles, sold out. The recap crowned it the hottest open mic in the world and started a relationship with the venue that continues years later.
The archive keeps growing