Malaysia’s plan to take on ticket touts is music to concertgoers’ ears

Malaysian lawmakers are seeking to criminalise ticket “scalping” for big-name concerts, which has seen an eye-watering US$940 quoted per ticket for a coming My Chemical Romance gig.

Scalping – or hoarding limited tickets only to resell them at exorbitant prices as demand spikes – has long plagued Malaysian music lovers hungry for live performances by the few international artists that add Kuala Lumpur to their tours.

Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the government was aware of the problem, pointing to the recent concert by K-pop artist G-Dragon last month, when scalpers were reportedly asking for up to 20,000 ringgit (US$4,700) per ticket.

“One possible solution would be to create a specific law that will hold scalpers to account,” Teo was quoted as saying on Sunday by national newswire Bernama.

“The communications ministry has also engaged with event organisers and ticketing companies to find the most suitable solution to this issue.”

Despite the lack of details, the announcement was welcomed by music fans, who had long complained about the constant battle with black market touts every time concert tickets for big names go on sale.