Avenged Sevenfold, one of the most popular heavy metal bands is taking a novel approach to addressing the issue of ticket scalpers for their upcoming tour by integrating non-fungible tokens (NFTs) into Ticketmaster. In a tweet dated March 15, the band’s lead singer, M. Shadows, announced the integration of Deathbats Club, the official Avenged Sevenfold fan club, into Ticketmaster. Fans who hold the Avenged Sevenfold NFTs will have access to the best tickets, avoiding bots, scalpers, and long wait times.
Following a hiatus, the band released their latest single “Nobody” on March 14th, along with the announcement of an upcoming album called “Life Is But a Dream” dropping on June 2nd. In an effort to promote the album, Avenged Sevenfold has slated a massive tour sponsored by Ticketmaster.
However, the integration of NFTs with Ticketmaster has not been without some controversy. Fans of the band took to Reddit to voice their displeasure at what they see as exploitive pricing by Ticketmaster. A screenshot of a checkout form from a disgruntled fan on Reddit showed six tickets, each priced at $282, with a service fee of $325.74 meaning each ticket attracts an additional fee of $54.29.
The post drew the ire of many fans, with many express their disgust for service fees. Robert Smith, The Cure’s frontman, also condemned Ticketmaster’s pricing practices since the ticket provider had overpriced the band’s tickets. It took the intervention of the members to bring them into an affordable range. Smith revealed that he was “sickened” by Ticketmaster’s pricing practices.
It’s not clear yet if the Avenged Sevenfold members will intervene to rectify the pricing issues for their fans. To reward holders with a variety of goodies, the band launched its NFT collection back in November 2021. The collection comprised 10,000 unique pieces boasting different traits and rarities.
This move by Avenged Sevenfold to integrate NFTs with Ticketmaster has the potential to change how tickets are sold for events. NFTs are cryptographic tokens that represent unique assets and can be used to provide access to physical or digital goods or services. The use of NFTs for concert tickets could help curb the nefarious activities of ticket scalpers who profit from buying tickets in bulk only to sell them at inflated prices.
Moreover, using NFTs can improve the overall fan experience of purchasing tickets for an event. NFTs are stored on a blockchain network, which means they’re transparent, secure, and can’t be replicated. The use of NFTs in ticketing could also grant fans more control over their tickets, including transferring them securely and transparently to other individuals.
Ticketmaster has been experimenting with blockchain technology for a while now. In 2018, the ticketing giant filed a patent application for a blockchain-based platform that uses encrypted codes to verify the authenticity of physical tickets. In the same year, the company acquired Upgraded for an undisclosed sum, a company that specializes in handling ticketing for live events using blockchain technology.
The use of NFTs in ticketing is becoming increasingly popular across the entertainment industry. The Kings of Leon made history on March 5th by becoming the first major act to release an album as an NFT. Their three-tiered NFT album, “When You See Yourself,” featured perks like limited-edition vinyl records and VIP concert tickets, and it sold out within hours of going on sale.
In conclusion, Avenged Sevenfold’s integration of NFTs with Ticketmaster to weed out scalpers could set a new standard for the sale of tickets to events. If done right, it could revolutionize the ticketing industry, creating a more secure and transparent ticketing ecosystem for fans. It’s a promising solution to the problem that has been plaguing the industry for years, and it’s exciting to see how else blockchain technology can tackle the many other issues it faces.
