Tighter rules to prevent ticket scalping

Organizers of large performances will be designated "untrustworthy entities" if they don't make at least 85 percent of their tickets available to the public, according to a recent circular.

Those that facilitate ticket scalping will also be designated as untrustworthy entities, said the circular from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Public Security.

Large commercial performances are defined as those with over 5,000 attendees.

With the number of large commercial events, such as concerts and music festivals, on the rise, problems such as ticket scalping, irrational idol worship and uncivilized audience behaviors remain prominent.

The circular asked organizers to ensure that the number of tickets offered to the public is no less than 85 percent of the authorized capacity.

For the remaining 15 percent of tickets not offered to the public, the ticket holders' personal information must be registered 24 hours before the performance.

Before the recent regulations, the number of commercial performance tickets for public sale on the market was not to be less than 70 percent.

The circular noted that the ticket purchases and admissions for large performances should use real names. One identity document can only buy one ticket for one performance, and the identity information of the ticket buyer and the person attending the event must be consistent.

Performance organizers and ticket platforms are also required to strengthen the protection of consumers' personal information to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, tampering or loss, it said.

A ticket refund mechanism should be established, implementing a reasonable tiered policy to protect the rights of ticket buyers, it said.

Performance organizers are urged to strictly establish and enforce a safety management system and improve risk assessment and emergency response.

The departments of culture and tourism management and public security will tighten the management of work permits for large performances. They will collect online and offline ticket scalping information and crack down on such illegal activities and associated fraud in a timely manner, it said.

In addition, authorities will intensify the inspection of performances, such as the actors' information and performance content. Acts such as changing actors or content without authorization, lip-syncing and fake performances must be strictly prohibited, it said.

Demand for tickets for live shows has skyrocketed in China since the end of the pandemic. Over 100,000 tickets for pop star Jay Chou's Shanghai dates in October sold out in a matter of seconds when they were put on sale at 6 pm on Tuesday.