Today in the Connected Economy: Red Sox Stadium Goes Cashless

Today in the connected economy, the Boston Red Sox become the latest sports franchise to go cashless, opening Fenway’s season with a card or touchless payments only system.

Also, TikTok owner ByteDance launches a new music streaming service, and New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) returns with carmakers showcasing new digital features.

Boston Red Sox Go Cashless

For the first time in the team’s 100-year history, the Boston Red Sox will not accept cash for concessions and souvenirs.

The team said that change would be in effect at its season opener Friday, meaning anyone who wanted to buy food or drinks at Fenway Park would need to do so using a credit or debit card or through touchless payments with their smartphone.

The Tampa Bay Rays became the first major sporting franchise in America to go cashless at home games in 2019.

TikTok Owner ByteDance Advances Music-Streaming Service on Mainland

ByteDance, which owns and operates the popular short video-sharing platforms TikTok and Douyin, has launched a music-streaming app as it seeks to compete with market leaders operated by Tencent Holdings and NetEase.

Known as Qishui Yinyue, or soda music in Mandarin, the app was updated earlier this week following its release in March.

Qishui Yinyue operates in a similar fashion to Resso, the music-streaming app ByteDance introduced three years ago in some overseas markets.

“Soda Music is an app built on Douyin’s continuous efforts in music,” a Douyin spokesman said in a statement. “Douyin launched it as a stand-alone app to better serve our users as well as artists in the industry.”

Digital Features Are in the News As In-Person Auto Show Returns

The New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) returned as a live event this week, although the bulk of the news surrounding the show – running April 15-24 – centers on the digital world.

For example, VinFast Automotive will showcase Plug & Charge technology as it introduces its electric vehicles (EVs) to America this year. Made possible through a collaboration with charging network Electrify America, this technology lets drivers pay for a charging session just by plugging in their EV after setting up their billing information on the VinFast app.

Also, Hyundai rolled out its first vehicle offering WiFi hotspot capability — the 2023 Palisade —  which also comes with upgraded wireless charging capability for faster device charging.