With millions of albums sold and a sizable global following, heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold is arguably the largest music act building in the Web3 space today—from launching its own NFT-based club to helping ticketing giant Ticketmaster roll out token-gated ticket sales.
Avenged Sevenfold frontman Matt Sanders (a.k.a. M. Shadows), himself an avid NFT collector and CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club member, recently joined Decrypt’s gm podcast. He detailed how the long-running band first embraced NFTs and why it continues to build with the tech despite up-and-down hype and a volatile market.
Sanders described the push as a long game, with the original Deathbats Club—a collection of 10,000 Ethereum NFTs—designed to serve as the “connective tissue” for broader plans.
The collectibles, each featuring a unique bat illustration, were launched in December 2021 outside of an album release cycle to “educate fans” and help them “get their footing.” Deathbats Club members gain access to exclusive merchandise, ticket giveaways, and can join a dedicated online community…