*By Jacqueline Corba*
Blockparty, a ticket-selling start-up, wants to block the bots from nabbing all the good seats and prevent ticket fraud by using blockchain technology to sell concert tickets.
"There's enough people who've had fake tickets outside Madison Square Garden or other venues, and we're really trying to solve those problems, " the Blockparty co-founder and CEO Shiv Madan said Thursday in an interview with Cheddar's Crypto Craze.
Blockparty launched over Memorial Day weekend, selling tickets for the [Elements Music Festival] (http://ampthemag.com/the-real/blockparty-launches-publicly-after-ticketing-vip-events-at-elements-lakewood-music-festival/) in Lakewood, Pa. More than 7,000 people attended.
But concert-goers will have to wait before purchasing their next concert ticket on the company's mobile app. Madan said Blockparty won't sell tickets for events until later in the summer concert season.
Blockparty attaches a digital identity to a ticket, so when users buy or sell a ticket, their information is stored on the blockchain. The company's service is free for now, but Blockparty plans to introduce ticket fees based on the size of the event.
Currently users can buy tickets ー when they're available ー with fiat, but Blockparty plans to eventually accept cryptocurrencies too.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-blockparty-is-applying-blockchain-to-concert-tix).
In what could be the biggest deal in video games history, Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard underlines the company's aggressive push in gaming and beyond into its long-term vision of being top dog in the metaverse. Adam Hollander, former director of gamification at Microsoft and founder of Hungry Wolves NFT, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss. “Microsoft always plays chess, not checkers," he said, describing the price tag as an opportunity cost. "It's about integrating Activision Blizzard in with Azure and Windows and Xbox and Hololens and Minecraft and everything else that they're doing for the inevitable goal of being the major player in the next phase of the internet."
Telecom giants AT&T and Verizon have agreed to delay activating their 5G services around airports and runways once again. This comes after major U.S. airlines voiced their concern over the rollout of 5G technology, warning of an impending "catastrophic" aviation crisis. Peter Andersen, Chief Investment Officer, Anderson Capital Management joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Earnings season kicks into high gear this week as big players are on tap to report their Q4 numbers. Goldman Sachs, Procter & Gamble, United Airlines, and Netflix are just a few of the companies we're keeping a close eye on to give us a better idea of how they're dealing with the Omicron variant, inflation and interest rates. David Nelson, chief strategist at Belpointe, gives a preview of what to expect.
Thomas Hayes, Chairman at Great Hill Capital, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down what to look for on the economic front in the coming months amid an Omicron surge and planned interest rate hikes.
Mike McGlone, Senior Commodity Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says he believes we'll eventually see Bitcoin reach the $100,000 mark despite its recent struggles, and explains why Bitcoin will be less volatile than the Nasdaq.
