Token-Gated Access: Ticketmaster Rolls Out NFT-Enabled Ticket Sales for Fans – Here’s How it Works

U.S. ticket sales and distribution firm TicketMaster has implemented crypto wallet integration for the fan club of American metal band Avenged Sevenfold in relation to its forthcoming tour. Owing to the feature, fans who are members of the Death Bats Club will be enabled to use non-fungible token (NFTs) to secure privileged access to tickets and reserved seating without the need to queue. 

The band’s followers had the opportunity to first use the functionality to buy tickets for shows organized at New York’s Madison Square Garden and The Forum in Los Angeles before the general public, industry publication Billboard reported. The feature will now be launched for the remaining available dates on Ticketmaster.

Matt Sanders, the band’s singer who also goes by the stage name of M. Shadows, unveiled the move in a tweet earlier this month. 

“Yes, we have integrated @DeathbatsClub into @Ticketmaster assuring that fans get the best tickets at the best prices without Bots, scalpers and long wait times,” he tweeted. 

In December 2021, Avenged Sevenfold launched the Death Bats Club, a collection of some 10,000 NFTs, on the ethereum chain. As of March 29, the NFTs have more than 5,200 owners, according to data from the OpenSea marketplace. 

Meanwhile, in a March 23 tweet paired with a poll, the singer asked his fans whether they would be open to downloading a free-of-charge digital wallet if it could enable the band to “get the best concert tickets in the hands of REAL fans at the best prices”. Of the 12,350 Twitter users who answered the question, some 63.3% were interested in the proposal, while 36.7% responded negatively. 

Ticketmaster’s token-gated sales are currently available for tokens minted on ethereum (ETH) and stored in dapp wallets. 

“Avenged Sevenfold used the capability to offer first access to tickets, but there are a variety of ways it can be used by artists in the future,” David Marcus, the executive vice president of global music at Ticketmaster, said in a statement. “From unlocking premier seats to special experiences like sitting in on soundcheck.”

Marcus said that his company is rolling out token-gated ticket sales as part of its expanding portfolio of Web3 services, but also other features designed to help artists decide how tickets are distributed to their fans. 

“Any artist who is minting their own NFTs or partnering with another independent community can explore with token-gated ticketing now,” according to the VP.