Fans were incredibly excited when Stray Kids announced their upcoming world tour, Stray Kids’ 2nd World Tour ‘MANIAC.’ Fans were excited to see Stray Kids’ exciting stages following their recent comeback ODDINARY.
The tour started on April 29th, the first concert taking place in Seoul, giving fans everything they’d hoped for from the group.
But unfortunately, while the concert itself is already exceeding expectations, fans are more than slightly disappointed with Ticketmaster and the ticket purchasing process.
Tickets for the North American concerts sold out incredibly quickly, which caused organizers to release additional dates for both Newark and Los Angeles.
But although a sold-out tour is normally something for fans to get excited about, fans claimed that the initial ticket sales weren’t fair.
Many fans could not make it through Ticketmaster’s queue in order to attempt to even buy a ticket.
And those that did noticed that some of the tickets were more expensive than what Ticketmaster had officially listed. These more expensive tickets were listed under Ticketmaster’s Official Platinum label and designated “premium tickets.”
https://twitter.com/sunnyhyunnie/status/1517599569294417920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
And hours after the initial ticket sale, resale tickets became available, and fans were shocked by the quantity. Not only were there a substantial number of resale seats available, even though many fans weren’t ever given the option to purchase the initial tickets, but the resale tickets were being sold at highly marked-up prices.
https://twitter.com/hyniskz/status/1517611568590172160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Fans were urging JYP Entertainment and Republic Records to try and resolve the issue so that fans could have reasonable access to the tickets and Stray Kids wouldn’t be performing in front of empty rows.
https://twitter.com/skzzphoria/status/1517702779329986560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
However, Ticketmaster has upset fans once again as some fans realized that Ticketmaster allegedly included an NFT with their ticket purchase.
NFTs have been a popular subject in K-Pop recently, with many companies attempting to create their own NFTs.
https://twitter.com/FeaturedBinance/status/1457937255281139712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
NFT stands for “non-fungible token.” The word “non-fungible” essentially means “irreplaceable” or “unique,” meaning that NFTs are one-of-a-kind and, to many people, worth a lot of money.
If you purchase an NFT, you gain ownership over that unique item, and the transaction is recorded in a blockchain. A blockchain is essentially a digital ledger that records digital currency exchanges, allowing everyone to track the flow of currency.
The issue with NFTs is that due to the number of computers required to keep track of all the information, NFT transactions take a substantial amount of energy. Tons of power goes into verifying the transaction, exchanging the currency, and transferring ownership of the NFT.
The power needed usually comes from power plants fueled by fossil fuels which, since they emit carbon into the atmosphere, are contributing to climate change.
https://twitter.com/formulaff1on/status/1519711467326607362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Given the amount of backlash from fans, to protect the environment, even Stray Kids’ company JYP Entertainment terminated its joint venture to create NFTs.
JYP Entertainment And Dunamu Terminate NFT Joint Venture Establishment Agreement
And understandably, Stray Kids fans were appalled when one fan realized that Ticketmaster told them that they had purchased an NFT that came with the concert ticket.
https://twitter.com/rebarob22/status/1519732523256848384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Stray Kids fans wanted to warn fans of other K-Pop groups and other artists that may be having a concert in North America since allegedly Ticketmaster is selling the NFTs without informing fans that they’re buying one.
https://twitter.com/haruharu_w_bts/status/1519937745799499778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The NFTs appear to only be applicable for concerts in North America.
https://twitter.com/ourstayc/status/1519959443836121088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer
And notably, this isn’t an issue with just Stray Kids’ concerts as other K-Pop artists, including MONSTA X, and other artists’ tickets have also included NFTs.
https://twitter.com/mochidaehyeon/status/1519877654605795328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Fans are voicing their frustration that Ticketmaster didn’t seem to alert them to the fact that they were purchasing an NFT in addition to their ticket.
https://twitter.com/SayWeCanSleep/status/1519808568496689153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
And fans also believe that if Ticketmaster wants to sell NFTs, they should include them as an optional add-on rather than adding them to already-purchased tickets.
https://twitter.com/kangdiIe/status/1519847870622482432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Some fans are also asking Ticketmaster to explain how the NFTs are “minted on an eco-friendly blockchain,” as their information suggests. Since, arguably, while eco-friendly blockchains exist, they are simply “less harmful” rather than “not harmful” to the environment.
https://twitter.com/95zers/status/1519976098565664769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
And some fans are simply frustrated by the issue, not quite sure what they can do to resolve it.
https://twitter.com/junhuisode/status/1520118257025306625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
And, again, since it is a Ticketmaster and Live Nation issue rather than a Stray Kids’ issue…
https://twitter.com/dalkomhanie/status/1519901437186424832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Fans are hopeful that this issue will be resolved before other concert tickets go on sale.
https://twitter.com/queerbiat/status/1519880506078220288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Although fans aren’t sure what they can do, hopefully, Ticketmaster and Live Nation will be able to resolve the issue, given fans’ immense displeasure.
You can read more about fans’ issues with Ticketmaster here.
Stray Kids’ “MANIAC” Tour Sells Out, But STAYs Claim Barely Any Fans Got Tickets
You can read more about how NFTs work here.
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