“STARTO” Implements Ticket Resale Measures as Voices Envy TOBE Fans

SUPER EIGHT・Tadayoshi Ohkura will hold solo events titled “Tadayoshi Ohkura 39 party Go green” in Osaka and Tokyo in July. According to the fan club of SUPER EIGHT, “personal identification” will be required at the entrance.

This is seen as part of measures against ticket scalping, although voices suggesting alternative methods have also arisen among fans on social media.

Ohkura’s events are scheduled as follows: one show on July 11 at Zepp Osaka Bayside in Osaka, and two shows on July 18 at Zepp Haneda in Tokyo. Originally, there was supposed to be one show each, but due to overwhelming ticket applications, an additional show was added later for the Tokyo afternoon session starting at 2:00 PM.

According to STARTO ENTERTAINMENT’s official website, the ticket price through the fan club is 3,900 yen (tax included). The application period was short, from June 3rd to 6th. Subsequently, the ticket winners were announced, leaving fans eagerly awaiting the events to commence.

“In late June, the fan club of SUPER EIGHT reportedly sent a cautionary email to its members regarding ‘Tadayoshi Ohkura 39 party Go green.’ Screenshots of the email shared by fans on social media indicated concerns about the unauthorized high-priced resale of tickets for the same event. The organizers apparently deemed this issue unacceptable.

The email not only emphasized a strict prohibition against purchasing or selling tickets outside official channels but also stated, ‘Upon entry, identification verification will be conducted for both the ticket holder and accompanying individuals.’ On the day of the event, attendees are required to present a digital ticket, their fan club membership card, and a photo ID with their face visible,” says a showbiz writer.

Furthermore, on June 20th, Tadayoshi Ohkura himself stated on X (formerly Twitter), “They will definitely do proper identification verification for this event.” It seems that due to Ohkura’s own preference as the main figure, they decided to implement thorough “identification verification.” There are voices suggesting that by declaring “identification verification” in advance, the organizers may effectively address ticket resale issues.

From observing reactions on social media, it appears that a majority of fans support the introduction of identification verification. However, there are also criticisms such as:

“It seems like identification verification is mandatory for Ohkura-kun’s event, but instead of that, couldn’t they create a resale system?”
“I want them to implement identification verification more rigorously, but at the same time, they should also create a resale system.”
“What’s with the mindset of ‘just do identification verification’? It’s too harsh if tickets become useless due to illness or other reasons preventing attendance.”

Comments like these have been raised repeatedly. 

“The resale system mentioned by fans refers to an official service where ticket holders can list their tickets for sale if they become unable to attend due to reasons like illness after winning. Major ticketing agencies like Ticket Pia also offer this ticket resale service, which varies depending on the event.

Even during the era of the former Johnny’s office, and currently at STARTO, there is no official resale service. However, TOBE, the entertainment agency led by Hideaki Takizawa, started an official resale service at the solo concert of Number_i in June at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.”

Therefore, when it was revealed that TOBE had introduced an official resale service:

“TOBE started a resale system. What is STARTO doing? They should quickly follow suit without losing out.”
“I’m so envious that TOBE started an official resale. I hope STARTO will do the same.”
“STARTO should start an official resale system like TOBE.”
“TOBE started an official resale, why hasn’t STARTO done it?”

There were voices of envy and expectation for STARTO to also implement a similar official resale service.

First and foremost, attention is focused on how smoothly the identification verification process will proceed at Ohkura’s event and on STARTO’s handling of the situation.

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