Cai Xukun. Photo: VCG

Chinese pop singer Cai Xukun's studio on Tuesday issued an apology for a controversial method of selling his new album and called on fans to halt irrational abuse.

The apology came after some fans took to social media to criticize Jimu News based in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, which reported that the pre-sale method for Cai's new album is suspected of violating consumer rights.

"We call on and encourage every fan to speak on the internet in a decent manner, and build a healthy cyber environment… Please stop any form of irrational conduct, including verbal attack and abuse," the studio said in an online letter to Cai's fans.

Meanwhile, in another statement, the studio apologized for not fulfilling the obligation to remind and inform customers about the release time for all the songs.

"We will improve the consumption reminder more strictly in accordance with relevant regulations to protect the legitimate rights and interests of every consumer," the studio said.

Jimu News reported that Cai's album named "Mi," which can be translated as Mystery, was released in April through QQ Music, and the song list shows that there are 11 songs in total. The album was sold at a price of 26 yuan ($4). However, customers who purchased the album found that six songs were not going to be released until August.

A lawyer reached by Jimu News said neither Cai's studio Weibo account nor the sales page of the music platform clearly informed or reminded consumers that the product will be "charged for first and released later," which is suspected of violating the Consumer Rights Protection Law.

The related hashtag has been trending and reached over 550 million views on China's twitter-like Sina Weibo on Tuesday. But a large amount of netizens believed to be Cai's fans went on social media to defend Cai, and some irrational fans even abused Jimu News for its report.

Li Weimin, a consumer rights lawyer and director of Beijing Wei Bo Law Firm, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the pre-sale method 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 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," Wu Xiaolin, a lawyer from Beijing-based Yingke Law Firm, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

As of Sunday, a total of 3.238 million copies of the album had been sold on QQ Music, with total sales of approximately 84.19 million yuan, according to Jimu News.