[비즈한국] Scalping is an act of interfering between artists and fans, depriving fans of their rights and generating unfair profits. It is a crime akin to kidnapping for those who have no interest in the artist to seize fans' viewing opportunities to pursue profit. This is because kidnapped tickets can only be returned if one pays a relatively high price. Those tickets should have gone to the fans in the first place. Furthermore, it is inappropriate for non-fans to watch and criticize their performances, as they are in no position to understand or empathize with them. Performances should be planned and delivered from the perspective of fans and artists.
However, even normal ticket purchasing is not necessarily fair right now. Since they are sold on a first-come, first-served basis online, it is highly likely that people with fast hands will snatch them up. It is impossible to know if they are 'true fans.' If macro programs are involved, it goes without saying. For ticket sales to be fair, they must go to true fans. Objective criteria for identifying true fans could include continuous records of purchasing or listening to albums and music.
In this regard, two recent BTS performances can be compared. While there was still much debate over the Gwanghwamun performance in Korea, BTS performed in New York on the 23rd at 7 p.m. (local time). It was only two days after the Gwanghwamun show that they stood on the American stage. The event, titled 'BTS SWIMSIDE,' was compared to the Gwanghwamun performance.
The 'Pier 17' venue in lower Manhattan, New York, held only 1,000 spectators, unlike the 22,000-person capacity at Gwanghwamun Square. It allowed for a more intimate performance at a very close distance. This method made it easier to manage dangerous variables and prevent various controversies. Above all, all 1,000 people were true fans. The criterion was whether they frequently listened to BTS songs on the streaming platform Spotify. There can be no more objective evidence than this. There is no room for scalping. In Korea, this would likely involve selecting 1,000 people from users of the music platform Melon.
It is impossible to know how many of the 22,000 spectators at the Gwanghwamun performance were true fans. In any case, they must have had fast internet speeds or quick hands. The very fact that the scalping controversy arose is because the tickets were sold randomly on a first-come, first-served basis. At the very least, the free Gwanghwamun performance should have been considered in this context. Since it was an event returning to fans after about four years, it was reasonable to open the seats beyond the regular ones to general citizens and other foreigners.
However, giving free tickets only to high-spending VIP customers could create another form of class contradiction. Instead, one could consider distributing seats by accepting fans' stories. If they submit various stories related to BTS, the members could read and select them. If the person is called out during the performance and the story is shared, the artist and fans will cherish each other even more. While this cannot be done for every concert, what if it were implemented for at least one show during a world tour? The same applies to other idol groups.
Now, live concerts can be broadcast live not only from Gwanghwamun Square but from various spaces. The 'BTS SWIMSIDE' case shows that the Hangang Park in Korea, which global fans have come to love, can also be an important venue. The Pier 17 venue is located on the East River, which flows east of Manhattan. Using the river as a background matched the title of BTS's song 'Swim'. Expanding to other regions beyond Gwanghwamun or the Han River would also be possible. To do so, infrastructure construction, such as convenience and accessibility facilities, must follow.
The Gwanghwamun performance was a place for the returned BTS to reunite with fans and an opportunity to promote Korea through Netflix. It just needed to meet the necessary requirements. Excessive crowd estimation or unnecessary input of material resources left something to be desired. Taking these points into account, it is necessary to prepare for the era of live concert broadcasting in the future. The title of being the world's first country to broadcast live performances based on real-world locations via OTT should be well-leveraged as a brand.
The author Kim Heon-sik has been walking or cutting through the forest of popular culture phenomena since his 20s with the expectation that there is a way to make the world a better place through culture. He continues to walk the same path in the 21st century, where AI and quantum computers are active, with the same belief.