Ticketmaster debuts NFT-Gated Ticketing with Avenged Sevenfold

Image credit: DimzQuitz / CC by 4.0

Ticketmaster is preparing to scale up its experimental NFT gated ticketing concept after a successful run with Avenged Sevenfold.

Ticketmaster announced that the Ethereum NFT token gating feature is now live for artists, enabling holders of specific tokens to receive special features such as event access and significant discounts. First tested with the Ethereum-based Deathbats Club NFTs, of which 10,000 were minted for heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, Ticketmaster has so far minted nearly 15 million digital event collectibles.

“In Avenged Sevenfold’s case, owners of the 10,000 Deathbats Club Ethereum NFTs were offered early access to purchase tickets to the band’s upcoming arena shows in New York City and Los Angeles in June,” the crypto newsletter said in a report Decrypt. “Frontman Matt Sanders – who goes by M. Shadows – said around 1,000 tickets were bought in total between the two shows with the NFT gate function.”

“It was amazing,” says Sanders, who explains that Ticketmaster asks users during the purchase process to connect a digital wallet to verify ownership of one of the eligible NFTs. “It’s a normal process after that, except without the 1,000-person queue and without scalpers and robots getting in there and taking everything at once.”

A Deathbat NFT holder tweeted a screenshot showing they had saved about $540 in service fees by using the token, effectively putting them at the front of the ticket purchase line. The tokens then grant special discounts if programmed to do so, such as for specific shows on Avenged Sevenfold’s North American tour.

Sanders was instrumental in creating NFT street features after meeting David Marcus, Ticketmaster’s EVP of Global Music, at the 2022 NFT LA conference, now called Outer Edge LA.

“Connecting to live shows creates a unique value, and we developed our token gating capabilities based on how artists want to connect their communities to their concerts,” says Marcus.

Ticketmaster has reportedly minted nearly 15 million digital collectibles related to events, including NFL games, using the Flow blockchain and Ethereum scaling network Polygon. The token-gating feature is now available to any artist with a current NFT collection or collaborating with an NFT community. The functionality is also available to unlock other benefits for fans.