Ticketmaster tests NFT advance sales with Avenged Sevenfold Tour – Billboard

Ticketmaster has rolled out crypto wallet integration for Avenged Sevenfold’s upcoming tour, allowing NFT holders from the heavy metal band’s fan club – Death Bats Club – to get priority access to tickets and reserved seating without queuing.

Fans have already used the feature to buy tickets to events at New York’s Madison Square Garden and The Forum in Los Angeles in front of the general public. Now the initiative will now go live for the rest of the dates available on Ticketmaster. “We’ve integrated Death Bats Club into Ticketmaster,” singer Matt Sanders confirmed on Twitter, “ensuring fans get the best tickets at the best prices without bots, scalpers and long waits.”

Shadows was instrumental in pushing the Ticketmaster integration forward, and has been an early advocate for NFTs and Web3. The band launched the Death Bats Club in 2021 – a collection of 10,000 NFTs with unique visuals that unlock real-world benefits such as care packages, meet-and-greet opportunities and now early access to tickets.

Ticketmaster has already issued more than 5 million NFTs as commemorative tokens for major events, including the Super Bowl, but this is the first token-gated integration to buy tickets directly. Currently, it is a pilot program, but may roll out to more artists based on demand. “Avenged Sevenfold used the opportunity to offer early access to tickets, but there are a number of ways it could be used by artists in the future,” said David Marcus, Ticketmaster’s managing director of global music, said in a statement. “From unlocking premium seats to special experiences like sitting in on sound check.”

Ticketmaster’s token-gated sales are currently compatible with tokens minted on Ethereum and stored in dapp wallets, such as MetaMask or Coinbase.

“Token-gated ticketing is available as part of our extended Web3 services and other features that help artists set their own terms for how tickets get to fans,” said Marcus. “Any artist creating their own NFTs or collaborating with another independent community can explore with token-gated tickets now.”

This marks the latest mainstream Web3 wallet integration after Spotify recently launched token-gated playlists as a pilot feature with several NFT projects including KINGSHIP and Overlord. Holders can connect to their wallet and listen to exclusive playlists curated by their community.

The Web3 fan club model – like the Death Bats Club – has emerged as a resilient use case for blockchain technology even as the hype surrounding NFT trading fades. Artists such as The Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki and Portugal. The Man has found token-gated communities as a way to engage more closely with his biggest fans and deliver exclusive perks and content.

For example, the Chainsmokers host a Discord community open only to NFT holders, where the duo regularly speak directly with fans and offer exclusive meet-and-greets. Steve Aoki launched the “Aokiverse” NFT club with six different levels of ownership offering discounts and backstage access. Santigold, Tycho and Sigur Ros have all launched free Web3 fan clubs using a white label technology platform called Medallion where fans get first access to exclusive content.