Performance companies fined in Guangdong for illegal practices

The Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism has investigated seven major illegal activities in large commercial performances in the southern province where the performance market is enjoying a strong rebound since June.

Companies that have violated laws and regulations have been fined a total of 353,000 yuan ($50,428.57), effectively deterring future illegal actions involving commercial performances in the prosperous province, said a statement released by the department.

The companies' illegal events mainly involved illegally inflating ticket prices, secret sales of tickets, failure to fulfill platform responsibilities, authorizing ticket sales to the platforms without ticket sales qualifications and selling unauthorized tickets, said the statement.

Meanwhile, relevant departments have also held talks with related performance companies, organizers and ticket sellers before their performances, urging them to fulfill their responsibilities as market operators, strengthen industry self-discipline and achieve law-abiding and honest business operations, said the statement.

Cultural market law enforcement bodies at all levels in Guangdong will continue to introduce more concrete and effective measures to regulate the province's commercial performance markets and rectify the chaos in the ticketing market for commercial performances in the months to come, according to the statement.

"The move aims to further purify the performance market environment, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and ensure the healthy, orderly and high-quality development of the commercial performance market in the province," it said.