Jay Chou Photo: Courtesy of Tencent Music
Police in North China’s Tianjin announced Saturday that 22 suspects have been arrested for scalping and stealing tickets for Chinese singer Jay Chou’s Tianjin concert.
Jay Chou, born in the Taiwan region in 1979, is a renowned singer and songwriter. His ballads were often heard echoing in the hallways of China's karaoke bars during the first decade or so of the millennium.
The singer held four concerts in North China's Tianjin from Thursday to Sunday. When tickets went on sale in July, nearly 130,000 tickets were snapped up within 30 seconds on Damai, China's leading online ticketing platform for live events. Ticket scalpers were soon selling two adjacent seats for 150,000 yuan ($20,429) on an online flea market platform.
According to domestic media reports, one woman, spent 13,000 yuan on a ticket from a scalper. Unfortunately, her ticket was stolen while she was crossing the street to enter the concert on Friday.
When she went to the police station to report the incident, she encountered 50 to 60 concertgoers lining up for the same reason. After the police checked her registration information, she was allowed into the stadium to enjoy the show.
The woman’s experience became a trending topic on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo, reaching 190 million views on Sunday. While many netizens extended sympathies to her, many called for the government to take action against scalpers. Some netizens called for the establishment of a thorough real-name ticketing system to deal with scalpers, just like the system deployed in buying train tickets.
According to Tianjin police, they caught four scalpers on Friday, who led them to another 18 suspects. The police believe they belong to two criminal groups. The case is still under investigation.
Besides scalpers and ticket theft, there was even more drama connected to Chou’s Tianjin concert. Chinese newspaper National Business Daily reported that some fans claimed that the singer experienced an equipment malfunction while performing during Friday's concert. According to the fans, Chou got stuck in a giant metal ball for 20 minutes and he appeared to have been injured during the accident. Fans expressed concern and accused those responsible for failing to ensure the singer’s safety.
JVR Music, Chou’s music production company issued a statement on Saturday denying the accusation, stating that neither was there a malfunction, nor did Chou get injured.
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