Structural problems behind illegal ticket resale
As the live entertainment market grows, illegal resale at inflated prices has become a serious problem. Although regulations have been tightened, "invisible transactions" on social media and unofficial sites are rampant, and the lack of safe, official places to transfer tickets is helping illegal resale spread.
Redesigning ticket distribution with NFTs
Turning tickets into NFTs makes their ownership and transfer history visible. Event organizers can directly control transfer conditions and official resale prices, creating a system where part of the resale profits that used to go to third parties can be returned to the people who create the shows.
Mainstream adoption and new fan experiences
Real-world use is accelerating, with TicketMe, which requires no specialized knowledge to use, being adopted at major music festivals. Challenges such as account selling are being addressed by combining NFTs with conventional identity checks, and NFT tickets continue to connect fans and organizers even after the show through digital perks.
Japan's live entertainment market continues to grow. According to Pia Research Institute, ticket sales for music concerts and stage performances in 2025 reached about $5.4 billion, setting a new record for the third year in a row.
The average spend per attendee also rose to about $58, and demand is said to be concentrating on popular shows.
Behind this growth lies a problem: illegal ticket resale. In 2019, Japan's Anti-Ticket Scalping Act came into effect, prohibiting practices such as repeatedly reselling tickets that meet certain criteria at prices above face value without the organizer's consent.
However, in June 2026, the Agency for Cultural Affairs pointed out that extremely high-priced resale continues even seven years after the law took effect. It once again urged event organizers to verify attendees' identities at entry and to set up official resale systems.
In fact, a 2025 survey by Ticket Plus, which runs an official resale service, found that one in three people who had bought tickets had come across resold tickets, and about half of them had experienced some kind of trouble.
Beyond inflated prices, other problems have been reported too, such as sellers becoming unreachable after payment, or buyers not getting refunds when a show is canceled.
