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Global News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Global News
Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry, episode 042: Ticket Scalper Crimes
A concert ticket is a simple thing. It symbolizes a contract between you and an artist that allows you admission to a performance set for a designated venue at a specific time. That's it. But getting your hands on a concert ticket can be a difficult (if not impossible) task. Beyond the cost (which can be substantial), there are all the hoops one must jump through to secure a ticket. You must be computer literate. You need to be at your computer, ready to go when the appointed on-sale time arrives. And you have to be prepared to jockey for position in the queue with other fans who are not just from your area but who are logging in from around the world. And then there are the scalpers, the crooks, and the shysters who somehow elbow their way to the front of the line to scoop up hundreds of tickets before you even get a chance to enter your credit card number. Story continues below advertisement These people—and the tools they employ—cause all kinds of headaches and heartbreak among fans who just want to go to a show. And how these scalpers operate often involves tactics that are not exactly legal. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Bribery has been a problem for decades. So have insider activities. And since the beginning of the 21st century, music fans have had to contend with special software programs that buy concert tickets by the hundreds within seconds. The result is that buying concert tickets has become one of the most frustrating and opaque of all consumer experiences. Who are these people who cheat their way to the best seats? And how do they do it? This episode 42 of 'Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry.' This time, our focus is on the tactics, misdeeds, and crimes of scalpers who prevent you from buying a concert ticket. Get Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry wherever you get your podcasts. Both Uncharted and The Ongoing History of New Music will be heard back-to-back overnights five days a week on these Corus news stations: Showtimes (all times local)
AFP
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- AFP
Fabricated news report falsely claims US banned China's blockbuster 'Ne Zha 2'
"The US Department of Commerce has banned the Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" over 'national security' concerns, saying it could lead to ideological infiltration," reads the simplified Chinese headline in a screenshot of a purported news report shared on X on February 6. The alleged report is dated February 5 and claims the department's Bureau of Industry Security (BIS) placed the film on its Entity List -- a trade blacklist -- and that the ban was "the first time the US government issued a complete ban on an entertainment product". The report also claims White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the country needs to beware of the risks of "digital surveillance" and "mental manipulation" in cultural works. The image's caption repeats the claim in the purported report, which is unattributed to any news organisation. Image Screenshot of the false post, taken February 24, 2025 "Ne Zha 2" is based on Chinese mythology and features a rebellious young deity battling formidable foes after his village is destroyed. It ousted Disney's "Inside Out 2" to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, state news agency Xinhua reported on February 18 (archived link). The film's overseas release in February sparked hopes among some Chinese that it would garner similar acclaim abroad (archived link). President Xi Jinping has urged more confidence in traditional culture and aims to build China into a cultural powerhouse by 2035. The same screenshot was shared on X, Weibo and RedNote alongside similar claims the box office hit was banned in the US. But the circulating news report is fabricated and "Ne Zha 2" earned $8.5 million in the North American box office the weekend after its release on February 14 (archived link). Tickets for the film are available on several US ticketing platforms like AMC and Showtimes. Image Screenshots showing available Ne Zha 2 tickets on US ticketing platforms AMC and Showtimes Fabricated report Keyword searches on Baidu using the headline seen in the circulating screenshot found no corresponding credible Chinese news reports. A keyword search on the US Department of Commerce's website found no press releases about "Ne Zha 2" on February 5 (archived link). The film is also not listed on the BIS's Entity List, which contains a list of names of foreign legal persons including businesses, institutions and governments that are subject to trade restrictions (archived link). A keyword search on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an independent agency that regulates films and licenses for television and radio issues in the US, also shows it did not issue a ban on the film (archived link). As of February 25, White House Press Secretary Leavitt has not spoken about Ne Zha 2 during any press briefings (archived link).
