You want a ticket to the TFBOYS 10th-anniversary concert? Good luck!
The official poster of the TFBOYS 10th-anniversary concert
Some 5 million people have expressed interest in attending the TFBOYS' 10th-anniversary concert in Xi'an next month, but only 30,000 tickets have been officially released. Do the math. No prizes for what comes next.
Xiao Yun is an avid fan of the pop idol band, also known as The Fighting Boys, and wanted to see them in person. She positioned herself near a cell tower where she has succeeded in the past in grabbing coveted tickets as they first appear online.
Alas, this time the ploy didn't work. Demand was too overwhelming. So she and other disappointed fans turned to scalpers offering tickets at eye-popping prices.
It's the trend this year as live performances return to stage after the long COVID hiatus. High public demand for tickets and seating limitations combine to create the ideal environment for scalpers.
To fans, watching the concert on a streaming platform at a cost of 39 to 99 yuan (US$13.80) just isn't the same.
The TFBOYS concert on August 6 has caused a frenzy in the capital of the northwestern province of Shaanxi.
Hotels within a 5-kilometer radius of the concert venue are completely sold out, and accommodation sites within 10 kilometers have raised their prices considerably, with some exceeding 1,000 yuan. Hotel staff confirmed that all rooms were sold out right after the event was announced online.
TFBOYS perform at a previous concert.
In an attempt to stifle scalping, ticketing systems are now requiring "real name" purchases. In response, scalpers have turned to proxy services, buying tickets with the aid of "ticket-grabbing software" and then selling them on at exorbitant prices. Some scalpers are charging as much as 6,000 yuan for such "ticket brokerage."
There are reports that scalpers were so inundated with demand for their services that they reached capacity and stopped taking new orders.
A university student shared online that he and several classmates invested 3,000 yuan to hire a programmer to write a "ticket-grabbing program" and are now using both automated and manual methods to secure tickets.
Some scalpers have even hired part-time "ticket grabbers." One scalper revealed that he assembled a team of several thousand individuals, offering a generous commission of 3,500 yuan for successfully securing a 2,013-yuan ticket. On average, four to five people work together to grab a single ticket.
In the wake of phenomenal success, members of the band have embarked on solo activities.
In a recent interview with Shanghai Daily, a scalper explained the process.
For proxy ticketing, buyers provide their personal ID to the scalper, who then employs a team of people or automated tools to grab tickets under that name.
The scalper then charges a 1,000-yuan deposit for terrace seat tickets that originally sold for between 580-980 yuan, and a 2,000 yuan deposit for inner circle tickets that first went on the market at between 1,280 yuan and 2,013 yuan.
If successful, an additional markup of 1,000 to 5,000 yuan is added. Otherwise, 90 percent of the deposit is refunded.
The implementation of a stringent "real-name" policy for this concert differs from previous concerts, where only physical tickets were required for entry.
The new policy requires facial recognition and personal information both in purchases and at the concert gate.
Jiang Benwei, a partner of the Beijing Baowen Law Firm, said there is a risk of identity malfeasance when consumers share their personal information and verification codes with scalpers.
According to concert organizers, tickets can be refunded free of charge within 24 hours. After 24 hours, a 30 percent handling fee is applied, and ticket refunds are not allowed after July 31.
Jiang said retrieving prepaid deposits promptly or seeking compensation might be problematic.
One scalper told Shanghai Daily that resold tickets may include "reserved invitations" and complimentary tickets from the organizers.
Regarding that claim, the TFBOYS' official account announced there would be no invitation tickets for this concert.
However, a scalper contradicted this claim, insisting that he could still provide invitation letters for entry.
An early photo of the then teenage band when it was established in 2013.
The TFBOYS are no strangers to the controversy surrounding scalping.
For their 6th-anniversary concert in July 2019, tickets sold out in less than a minute, leaving fans disgruntled.
Their 7th-anniversary concert, held in August 2020, ticket sales surpassed 1 million, and online viewers reached 786,000. That event set a record for the highest ticket prices for an online concert in China.
The boy band comprises Wang Junkai, 24, and 23-year-olds Wang Yuan and Yi Yangqianxi. Their songs have become instant hits, crowning them as a top domestic band.
As the years passed, the band members have also pursued individual interests, including solo gigs, acting and establishing their own studios.
A TFBOYS poster from their inaugural year in 2013
Wang Junkai and Yi ventured into acting, appearing in various TV dramas and movies. Wang Yuan pursued his passion for music by studying at the Berklee College of Music in the US state of Massachusetts.
Despite their individual pursuits, the trio remains beloved by fans. Anticipation about the 10th-anniversary concert has been stirred by speculation that it might be their last performance as a group.
To capitalize on the interest, the band has released a 10th-anniversary clothing line that includes commemorative T-shirts, scarves, baseball caps, and handheld fans, priced at between 59 yuan and 198 yuan.
Clothing cheering the group on has proven the most popular, with monthly sales on the Tmall online platform generating around 200,000 yuan in revenue.
(Chen Yian also contributed to the story.)
