For your favorite idol
From buying the naming rights of the asteroid
Go to the subway station to fill the street with birthday wishes
......
You may have been shocked by the fans' response to the star?
Then you know these fans
How did you gather so much money?
This has to mention a platform:
Owhat, the domestic head star fan interaction platform
The Owhat platform was once an important part of it, and thousands of fans put a small amount of money into the platform, and finally gathered into the hands of a certain fan group, which became a huge amount of money that could support a grand event.
For fans, though, the Owhat platform has recently "mutinied."
A product of the "fan economy era"
The platform announced that it would stop withdrawing cash
Led a number of fan groups to protest
The Owhat platform is essentially a product of the "fan economy era".
According to the official website, Owhat is an interactive platform for star loyal fans, providing entertainment companies and fan support clubs with one-stop convenient interactive tools including online trading, communication management, activity management and celebrity welfare interaction.
According to Red Star News, Xiao Tian (pseudonym) was once a fan of a certain star and participated in the management of a fan group. She told reporters that the Owhat platform can be understood as Taobao, merchants are fan groups, buyers are scattered small fans, and the goods bought and sold are the peripheral products of celebrities.
For example, star A's birthday is approaching, and his fan base plans to advertise birthday wishes for A offline. In order to raise this fund, the fan group will launch A-related peripheral products on the Owhat platform, such as badges, standing villains, photobooks (albums) and so on.
"Generally speaking, the prices around these areas will be more expensive than similar goods, and fans know it in their hearts, but this money is used for assistance, and it is not that the station (referring to the fan group) has earned it." Xiaotian told reporters.
What's more, the fan group does not provide products at all, and the so-called "product link" is actually a "fund-raising link".
It can be said that since its birth in 2014, the Owhat platform has become an important place for fan groups to raise funds.
Until about 23:00 on the night of October 14 this year, the Owhat platform issued an announcement on the official Weibo that all transaction services of "fan club" merchants (fan groups) would be suspended indefinitely from now on. At the same time, the withdrawal was stopped, and the operator checked the refund links with all the fan association merchants one by one, and arranged for the orderly refund of fan orders.
This paper announcement blew up countless fan groups, who have issued statements on the matter to protest the Owhat platform's practices.
Withdrawals were not possible as early as May
Dozens of fan groups spoke out
Involving funds or up to tens of millions
On October 16, according to the incomplete statistics of the Red Star Capital Bureau, at least 31 fan groups have issued statements on this issue so far. Judging from the statements issued by the fan group, as early as May this year, the Owhat platform could not withdraw cash.
The reporter noted that since June this year, the Central Cyberspace Administration has launched a two-month "Qinglang· The special action of 'chaos rectification' in the rice circle focuses on cracking down on five types of "rice circle" chaotic behavior.
By August 19, according to media reports, a number of star-chasing apps, including Owhat, had been taken down.
Some fan groups said that after the twists and turns, they cooperated with the Owhat platform to rectify, such as replacing the business license, completing the industrial and commercial certification, etc., but after cooperating with the submission of information, they failed to withdraw cash successfully, and could only pay for the production and delivery of related goods by themselves.
According to incomplete statistics from the Red Star Capital Bureau, only 11 fan groups disclosed the amount of money that could not be withdrawn, totaling about 2.48 million yuan; another 18 fan groups did not disclose the amount of unsuccessful withdrawal, and two fan groups only vaguely said "up to six figures".
Among the fan groups that announced the specific amount, the highest amount of money that could not be withdrawn was the TFBOYS group's fan group @TF - Medical Aid Association, "there are still nearly 600,000 funds left to be paid"; followed by Lin Yanjun's fan group @ Lin Yanjun Global Fan Support Association, "involving an amount of more than 540,000 yuan".
The content of the form is derived from the content published by various fan groups on Weibo
According to the "Finance and Economics Weekly" report, some fan statistics said that the incident involved hundreds of fan stations, involving an amount of money or tens of millions of yuan.
Owhat does not have the right to dispose of the money without authorization?
"No one on the platform"
According to the statement released by the Owhat platform, its operators will check the refund links with all fan association merchants (fan groups) one by one, and arrange for orderly refunds of fan orders.
In this regard, the fan group generally believes that the Owhat platform has no right to handle money without authorization, even if it is a refund. On the one hand, it is because the refund promised by the platform may be far away; on the other hand, the fan group may have paid in advance.
For example, the fan group of foreign star Jennie @babyblue_JennieKim said that fans who opened a refund channel as early as September have not received a refund so far, and after contacting the platform customer service, they only got a reply of "I help you check it", and there was no follow-up.
Judging from the production costs advanced by the fan group, the fan group @LISA_LALISAHOUSE of foreign star Lisa said that the cost of its advance payment has exceeded 300,000 yuan.
Screenshot from Weibo
"We refuse to accept the unilateral refund announcement of the ow party and the indefinite 'forced refund'." The above-mentioned fan group said.
Source: Morning News Integrated Red Star Capital Bureau, Red Star News