Live Nation and Bruno Mars deny Concert Kit partnership claim

In short: Tools for Humanity said its new concert ticket product would launch with Bruno Mars, but Bruno Mars’ team and Live Nation say there was no partnership.

What happened

Tools for Humanity, a startup linked to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, announced a new product called Concert Kit. The company said it would help “verified humans” buy concert tickets, meaning people who have proved they are real and not automated programs.

At an event in San Francisco, a Tools for Humanity executive said Concert Kit would roll out first on Bruno Mars’ world tour. The company also published a blog post that repeated this claim and added that verified fans could get VIP experiences at some tour stops.

On Tuesday, Bruno Mars Management and Live Nation, the tour’s producer, told WIRED in a joint statement that the partnership “does not exist.” They said Tools for Humanity never approached them and they learned about the claims only after the event.

Tools for Humanity later edited and reshared the video and the blog post. The updated materials now say Concert Kit will roll out on a 2027 European tour for Thirty Seconds to Mars. A Tools for Humanity spokesperson told WIRED the company has no agreement with Bruno Mars and there is no association with his tour.

Why it matters

Concert tickets are often snapped up by bots, which are automated programs that buy fast like a swarm of shoppers hitting “refresh” at the same time. Tools like Concert Kit claim they can reduce that by checking that each buyer is a real person, including through the company’s iris-scanning “orb.”

But this episode shows why clear, accurate partnerships matter. If an artist or promoter is named without consent, fans can be misled about how ticket access or VIP perks will work.

Source: Wired