Original article published on South China Morning Post (04/15/18) by Shirley Zhao

Music industry professionals are warning that a plan to combat Hong Kong's ticket scalping market by forcing buyers to give their names would add up to much higher administration costs and aggravatingly long lines for identity checks at concert venues. Although fans have urged the government to require tickets to be purchased using a buyer's name, Wow Music's Chow Kim-hung argues that type of system would be inappropriate for large venues such as the government-run Hong Kong Coliseum. "It would waste a lot of time and resources and require every showgoer to be very cooperative," he says. Ticket scalping at private venues with entertainment licenses is illegal, but Hong Kong's Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance can fine scalpers no more than $255 per offense. Furthermore, this law is inapplicable to venues run by the government's Leisure and Cultural Services Department, such as the coliseum. The Performing Industry Association's Lisa Hui Ping-sum estimates that a name system would require identity checks at larger venues taking two to three hours. Meanwhile, musical artist Peter Cheung Shung-tak fears the measure would be detrimental to lesser-known performers struggling to build a fan base, who often reserve tickets for fan clubs. Industry insiders would prefer that officials impose harsher penalties on violators and broaden rules to include government venues.

Read the full story on the South China Morning Post website.