Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
IU and her agency EDAM Entertainment recently released a statement that they would be taking actions against ticket scalpers for her upcoming concert The Golden Hour. This is an issue that’s a problem everywhere, but EDAM are looking to solve it by declaring scalped tickets fraudulent and that every person must buy tickets in person.
“Of all tickets purchased through alternative ticketing platforms, those found to have been purchased through illegal means, including ones which were acquired through bulk buying, ones purchased through premium transaction sites, ones sold/purchased on personal SNS, etc will be deemed fraudulent. All attendees must purchase tickets for the concert in-person. Actions such as attempting to hire a proxy ticket buyer or transferring of tickets leads to disadvantageous situations.”
To take things further, they stated that any fanclub member caught taking part in scalping will be blacklisted.
“In the case that those who took part in illegal ticket transactions are members of IU’s official fan club, their fan club membership will be revoked immediately, and they will be blacklisted and banned from attending all future events. They will also be permanently expelled from membership.”
Also, there are significant rewards for snitching.
Incentivizing a system of self-policing within the fandom. Makes sense, honestly.
I’m sure this system isn’t exactly perfect, but for the most part it feels like a real fan’s dream, where they can try to get tickets fairly and at the intended cost instead of seeing who has the best bot and/or who has enough money to buy from third-party sellers jacking up prices to comical rates.
I know this isn’t actually it, but I would like to imagine it stems from IU’s rage at trying to buy tickets to her own concert before.
“Well, why doesn’t every company do this?”
Right, well as anybody who has bought tickets for concerts lately knows, this is hardly a localized issue and it’s a racket for the companies profiting off the high demand and limited supply. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver did a great segment on it that kinda explains the issues, and it’s mostly because everything is intertwined with the artists, companies, venues, and third-party sellers effectively collaborating to screw fans.
EDAM is likely able to do this because IU does have a unique power in the industry where she doesn’t need anybody as much as they’d need her. Some lesser acts are likely forced into participation with this sham system, so it’s hard to shit on them too much, but there are others who have similar power that should emulate her company here.
