Asia News: Korean Ticket Scalping; K-pop Lip Synching; Promoting Indie Rock In Japan

KOREA

Ticket Scalping Enforcement Reporting

A Korean lawmaker who is investigating the problem of ticket scalping announced on Oct. 6 that around 3,400 cases of scalping were reported between November 2023 and last July.

Among these cases the highest number of “verified enforcement actions,” 15, were related to Psy’s “Summer Swag” concerts, according to The Korea Times.

An online ticket scalping reporting system is run by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), which deems a report valid “when they include specific ticket information, such as seat numbers and reservation codes.”

The reports are shared with ticketing platforms, which can “request explanations from ticket holders or initiate ticket cancellations.”

Among the validated reports, 75% were for music concerts, followed by fan meetings, athletic events and stage musicals. About 80% of the trade in scalped tickets took place on secondhand marketplace platforms.

KOCCA reports that “enforcement actions” were taken on 109 cases.

Such actions included “suspending ticket reservations and voluntary cancellations for suspected fraud.” Forty-four cases were for counterfeit tickets.

The politician, Representative Kang Yu-jung, has called for stronger penalties for scalpers.
“We need stronger sanctions,” he said, “including penalties that exceed the potential profits from scalping.”

In March, the revised Public Performance Act was implemented, but many see it as insufficient, since it “only punished ticket sales conducted using macro programs.”
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is trying to draft an amendment to prohibit the overpricing of ticket resales, regardless of what kind of programs are used.

K-pop And Lip-Syncing

An article in the Korea Herald says that there is increasing discussion in pop music circles about the issue of K-pop artists lip-syncing during performances.

The discussion was prompted when Lisa, of the K-pop girl group Blackpink, was accused by fans of lip-syncing at two events in September: the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards and at the Global Citizen Festival in New York.

Last April, the popular K-pop group Le Sserafilm was accused of lip-syncing during their second performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Field in Indio, California.

One music critic told the newspaper that lip-syncing is a fact of life for artists who have to sing while dancing, and points out that “it used to be more prevalent.”

Advancements in technology and greater experience on the part of artists have combined to make the matter blurry.

Now, he says, most artists don’t lip-sync, but, in fact, may sing live over pre-recorded vocals.

The newspaper says that according to rumors, K-pop idols sing only 10% to 20% of their songs on stage, regardless of the nature of the event.

Another critic pointed out, “What we perceive as live is often layered with pre-recorded tracks. It’s far from what we would consider a traditional live performance.”

One anonymous official of a prominent K-pop agency acknowledged to the paper that their artists sometimes use MR (music removed) tracks at concerts.

“K-pop combines music and performance, and artists may not sing every line while dancing, as choreography is integral to their performance,” said the official.

In the case of Le Sserafim’s lip-syncing at Coachella, it is believed that criticism of the group’s “underwhelming vocal performance” during their first performance at the festival prompted them to rely on AR (all recorded) tracks for their second performance.

TAIWAN

Promoting Indie Rock In Japan

Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture is actively promoting appearances by Taiwanese indie rock bands in Japan as a means of boosting tourism to the island.

The first effort in that promotion bore fruit on Sept. 29 when three Taiwan groups played on a special stage at the Ringo Music Fest in Matsumoto, located in central Japan.

Later, some of the musicians held a press conference, according to Taiwan Times, where
they praised the enthusiasm of the Japanese audience and talked about how the festival opened wider opportunities.

One of the bands said it intended to release an album in Japan.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture is presently negotiating with other Japanese music festivals to “expand the market for Taiwan’s indie music in Japan.”

The outdoor Ringo Music Fest takes place at the end of September each year, and usually features about 150 artists.