CHINESE pop singer Cai Xukun’s studio has issued an apology for a controversial tactic of selling his new digital album “Mi.”

The apology came after some fans took to social media to criticize the pre-sale tactic for Cai’s new album is suspected of violating consumer rights. The studio apologized for not fulfilling the obligation to remind and inform customers about the release time for all the songs.

Jimu News reported that Cai’s album was released in April through the QQ Music app, and the song list showed that there were 11 songs in total. However, customers who purchased the 26-yuan (US$4) digital album found that six songs were not going to be released until August.

A lawyer reached by Jimu News said neither Cai’s studio’s Weibo account nor the sales page of the music platform clearly informed or reminded consumers when all of the songs would be released, which is suspected of violating the Consumer Rights Protection Law.

Li Weimin, a consumer rights lawyer and director of Beijing Wei Bo Law Firm, said that the pre-sale tactic could be infringing on the rights of consumers, such as the right to know and the right to fair trade.

He pointed out that among the later-released songs, “Dream” is not a new song and “Yu” and “Nobody Cares” only last about two minutes, which is far from the expectations of consumers at the time of purchase.

“Cai Xukun and his studio should clearly inform consumers about the release time of all the songs, in accordance with the principle of honesty and credibility,” said Wu Xiaolin, a lawyer from Beijing-based Yingke Law Firm.

More than 3.2 million copies of the album have been sold with a revenue of around 84 million yuan on QQ Music, a major music streaming app, as of Aug. 29.(Global Times)