Ticketmaster expands NFT offering on Dapper Lab’s Flow Blockchain

Quick take:

• The NFTs will primarily serve as memorabilia and “proof of attendance”.
• Ticketmaster and Dapper Labs launched an NFT pilot program six months ago.
• Ticketmaster will release NFT tickets for 100 games in the upcoming NFL season.

Ticketmaster, a subsidiary of Live Nation, is rolling out its NFT extension in partnership with Dapper Labs on the Flow blockchain. Organizers of events can issue NFTs before, during and after the event.

The NFTs are not tickets to the events, as they will primarily serve as mementos and proof of attendance, especially as they can be minted during and after the event, meaning attendees will still need to purchase a physical ticket in advance. The NFTs can also unlock rewards and exclusive experiences such as meet-and-greets.

Last November, Ticketmaster first partnered with Polygon for NFTs. The company then teamed up with Dapper Labs six months ago to launch an NFT pilot program to automatically issue NFTs to attendees of the NFL and this year’s Super Bowl LVI. More than five million NFTs were minted during the six-month period.

Ticketmaster is expanding its partnership with the NFL this season to issue NFTs to attendees at 100 select games, including three home games for all 32 teams. The ticketing company has added a wallet and marketplace to its website, allowing holders to view and trade their NFTs.

“Promoters who choose to offer fans an NFT with their ticket have a real opportunity to make this new technology relevant and relatable at scale. This is why we’re partnering with Flow, because their blockchain is purpose-built for fan engagement and frictionless consumer experiences, Brendan Lynch, Ticketmaster EVP of Enterprise & Revenue, said in a statement.

Mickey Maher, Dapper Labs’ SVP of Partnerships, told Decrypt that he doesn’t have a strong stance on whether all tickets should be NFTs, saying data and user behavior will show that.

Dapper Labs is best known as the creator of NBA Top Shot, a platform for officially licensed basketball NFTs, and also partnered with Real Madrid to issue NFTs last year. The Australian Football League (AFL), the Italian Serie A and the Spanish La Liga have also issued NFTs on the Flow blockchain.

Although not yet issuing NFT tickets, Ticketmaster has posted LinkedIn job ads seeking product managers for NFT ticketing tools and NFT ticketing integration. NFT tickets are becoming a solid use case for non-fungible tokens as it can help prevent counterfeiting and scalping. To serve this purpose, Binance teamed up with Italian soccer team Lazio to test out their new NFT ticketing solution in July.

Before that, platforms like GUTS, YellowHeart, Wicket and GET Protocol are already trying to solve the problems around event tickets. GET provides an infrastructure with blockchain and NFT integration to ticketing platforms. Each NFT ticket is issued on-chain with clear, verifiable data that can be checked using the GET explorer.

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