Budweiser, Coinbase Partner to Give Free Bitcoin to Concert Attendees

Screen-Shot-2014-05-21-at-4.14.53-PM
21 May 2014

Budweiser is teaming up with Coinbase on a bitcoin payments initiative that will go live this summer during the Budweiser Made In America (BMIA) Concert Series.

The partnership will be on display during the tour’s upcoming event at The Complex in Salt Lake City on 12th June.

There, concert-goers will have the opportunity to spend bitcoin at participating concession stands, and Coinbase and Budweiser will promote the event by distributing US$10 worth of bitcoin to eligible concert-goers.

The BMIA Concert Series began in April in Madison, Wisconsin, and runs through the end of August with shows in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

The promotion notably follows Coinbase’s decision to provide $10 in BTC to students who sign up for its service, and could be seen as its latest bid to enroll younger users.

Limited supply

To participate, concertgoers need to opt-in when they register for their tickets on the BMIA Concert Series website. They agree to receive an invitation to create a Coinbase wallet, connecting the user to the company’s service.

After going through the normal registration process for a Coinbase wallet, the user is credited the US$10 in bitcoin, Budweiser explained.

US residents are eligible to opt-in, although Budweiser noted that the offer does not apply to residents of California, Ohio and Texas.

The company added that there is a limited supply of bitcoins available.

Bitcoin in entertainment

Bitcoin is slowly but surely making inroads in the entertainment and sporting industries, most notably in the US.

Earlier this month, the San Jose Earthquakes announced that it would integrate bitcoin payments – also facilitated by Coinbase – at its home stadium. Like the BMIA Concert Series, attendees will be able to use bitcoin to pay for items at concession stands.

However, this trend is being seen on the international stage as well.

In March, Polish soccer club GKS Katowice announced plans to accept bitcoin. At the time, chief executive Wojciech Cygan told CoinDesk that the club was “open to new technologies”.

Rock concert image via Shutterstock