Startup's Concert Ticket Initiative Marred by False Partnership Claim
A startup's announcement of a new product to combat ticket bots has been contradicted by the major artist and promoter it named, forcing a swift public correction.
The Announcement and the Denial
On April 17, at an event in San Francisco, Tools for Humanity unveiled a new product called Concert Kit. The company's Chief Product Officer, Tiago Sada, stated the product would roll out during Bruno Mars's 'The Romantic' world tour, providing ticket access and VIP experiences for verified users. This claim was repeated in a company blog post.
"To be clear, we were never approached by TFH, nor were we in any discussions regarding a partnership or tour access. We first learned that our tour was being used to promote their project after their keynote made those initial claims."
— Bruno Mars Management & Live Nation in a joint statement, April 23.
Six days later, on April 23, Bruno Mars Management and tour producer Live Nation issued a forceful joint statement denying any partnership or prior contact with Tools for Humanity.
The Correction
Following the denial, Tools for Humanity edited its event video and blog post. The company removed all references to Bruno Mars, instead stating that Concert Kit will roll out on Thirty Seconds to Mars's 2027 European tour.
A spokesperson for Tools for Humanity confirmed the change, stating the startup "does not have any agreement with Bruno Mars to test or feature Concert Kit, and there is no association or affiliation with the artist or his tour."
Product and Company Background
Tools for Humanity is a startup co-founded in 2019 by Sam Altman and Alex Blania. The company focuses on using blockchain and biometric technology, including an iris-scanning orb, to verify human identity online.
The Concert Kit product is designed to help prevent bots from purchasing concert tickets, a significant problem in the live events industry. Live Nation, which issued the joint denial, owns Ticketmaster—a platform that has itself faced intense scrutiny over bot activity and is reportedly under investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission regarding its bot-prevention efforts.
Event Context and Industry Sentiment
At the same April 17 event where the false claim was made, executives from Tinder, Zoom, and Docusign said they would expand work with Tools for Humanity.
The issue of ticket bots resonated with at least one artist present. Anderson .Paak, who tours with Bruno Mars as DJ Pee .Wee, told the audience, "I fucking hate bots … they make everything really shitty. Especially for the fans."