Followers acknowledge that so long as demand stays excessive, Okay-pop labels have the freedom to set costs as they see match.
Okay-pop lovers worldwide are expressing their dismay and frustration as live performance ticket costs proceed to skyrocket. Current reviews from Thailand reveal that the typical value of a Okay-pop live performance ticket now stands at roughly 5,270 baht ($155.6), as reported by native media outlet MGR On-line.
Evaluating the figures to pre-pandemic ranges in 2019, live performance tickets have surged by almost 20% and an astonishing 60% since 2013. Such an exponential improve has left followers reeling, particularly when contemplating {that a} decade in the past, the most affordable ticket may very well be acquired for a mere 1,050 baht, with the costliest possibility priced at 6,000 baht.
For the upcoming live shows of well-liked Okay-pop lady group BLACKPINK at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Nationwide Stadium on Might 27 and 28, followers are anticipated to pay a staggering 14,800 baht for a VIP ticket. This exorbitant payment has pushed some Thai followers to hunt help from the Shopper Safety Company. In reality, way back to final October, fervent followers of Okay-pop boy group Stray Children raised issues concerning the steep costs of their February live performance tickets, with the costliest ticket allegedly bought for 8,500 baht.
Nevertheless, regardless of these pleas for intervention, the Shopper Safety Company clarified that the federal government doesn’t possess the authority to control ticket costs.
As of now, we would not have any legislation to control the ticket costs for live shows. The worth is about based mostly on the consensus between sellers and shoppers.
— Shopper Safety Company
The state of affairs in South Korea mirrors the frustrations felt by followers in Thailand. Many Okay-pop live shows now command costs exceeding ₩200,000 KRW (about $152 USD) for a VIP ticket, making it unaffordable for quite a few devoted supporters. Disheartened followers have expressed their emotions of exclusion from fan actions as a consequence of monetary constraints.
As reside exhibits steadily return following the disaster attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, live performance organizers argue that larger ticket costs are essential to cowl manufacturing prices and retain expert crew members, guaranteeing the supply of high-quality performances.
This surge in ticket costs will not be restricted to Okay-pop live shows alone. The pandemic has affected varied types of reside leisure in Korea, leading to elevated costs for a lot of exhibits. Musical productions akin to West Aspect Story confronted criticism from followers when the manufacturing firm introduced its fourth run with steeply-priced tickets.
Followers are more and more pissed off by these rising prices, however they acknowledge that so long as demand stays excessive, Okay-pop labels have the freedom to set costs as they see match. Consequently, the longer term seems unsure for devoted followers who discover themselves unable to afford the once-accessible live shows and fan experiences they cherished.
The ticket value will proceed to go up as a result of followers are shopping for them anyway. Okay-Pop labels can elevate the value as a lot as they need since there may be greater than sufficient demand.
— A Okay-Pop fan commented for The Korea Occasions