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Business|Cash App Wades Into the Exclusive World of Presale Concert Tickets
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/business/kendrick-lamar-sza-tour-cash-app.html
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Legacy credit cards and banks aren’t the only banking options to come with perks for premium access to events anymore.
Dec. 6, 2024, 4:30 p.m. ET
When Kendrick Lamar and SZA announced a joint tour this week, there were no American Express, Citibank or Capital One presale codes in sight. Instead, fans reached for the digital payments platform Cash App, and some even dropped their handles across social media in hopes that someone would donate to their ticket funds.
Legacy brands aren’t the only banking options to come with such perks as early access to performances anymore.
For their Grand National tour, which will be debuting in the spring, SZA and Lamar partnered with Cash App for early access, the latest move by the payment platform to try to open up what has become an exclusive ticket-access process.
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“Everyone should have access to the financial system, and that includes the rewards that come along with premium credit cards,” said Catherine Ferdon, the chief marketing officer for Cash App. “Most artists don’t really care what their fans’ credit score is or if they carry a luxury credit card in their wallet. They care that their fans love their music and can get access to it easily.”
Generally, the credit cards that grant access for concert presales come with “pretty significant barriers to entry,” Ms. Ferdon said, including high annual fees, credit score requirements, and qualifying for a high credit limit. Cash App acts like a prepaid debit card and does not require users to have a bank account or credit approval. A physical Cash App card was required for the presale.
