20-5-2023 (Kuala Lumpur) The Communications and Digital Ministry of Malaysia will be summoning the organizer of the upcoming Coldplay concert to discuss and gain insight into their ticketing system and procedures. This decision comes in response to numerous complaints from buyers who faced difficulties purchasing tickets due to scalpers acquiring them in bulk, as reported by Bernama.
On Friday (May 19), Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil stated that the meeting aims to explore measures that the organizer can implement to prevent a recurrence of the same ticketing issues. “We will examine the ticket purchase process and consider whether restrictions or specific conditions should be imposed on the organizers,” Mr. Fahmi said. He also mentioned the possibility of taking legal action, depending on the existing provisions, as quoted by Bernama.
As part of their Music Of The Spheres World Tour, Coldplay is scheduled to hold their first concert in Malaysia on November 22 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. General tickets were made available for sale on Wednesday, but local media reported that they sold out within a few hours, leaving many disappointed Malaysian fans unable to secure tickets.
Following the ticket sales, the concert organizer, Live Nation Malaysia, cautioned the public via Twitter about purchasing tickets from unauthorized sellers or third-party platforms such as Viagogo, Carousel, and similar websites.
Reports emerged that the ticketing website experienced technical difficulties during the presale period for CIMB bank cardholders, leading to speculation on social media that the crash was a result of the high number of buyers attempting to purchase multiple tickets.
According to Bernama, several accounts on various platforms were reselling Coldplay concert tickets at exorbitant prices, reaching up to RM43,200 (US$9,495). However, these accounts are believed to be operated by scammers. In response, Mr. Fahmi announced that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will request the platforms to remove the fraudulent postings. “If we identify the scammers, we will take them to court, and appropriate action will be taken if the tickets are still being sold on the platform,” he stated, as reported by Bernama.
Mr. Fahmi expressed concern over the excessive resale prices and highlighted that the matter would be discussed during the upcoming Cabinet meeting.
Prior to this, the announcement of Coldplay’s concert in Malaysia drew criticism from a political leader belonging to the Islamist party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), who called for the event’s cancellation. PAS has previously voiced opposition to concerts by foreign artists, with a Member of Parliament raising concerns about Korean girl group Blackpink’s concert earlier this year, stating that it contradicted the values of Malaysia’s predominantly Muslim population. The MP also urged the government to exercise control over the increasing number of concerts by foreign artists in the country.
