Sam Altman’s startup, Tools for Humanity, recently announced a product called Concert Kit, intended to provide verified users with exclusive access to concert tickets. The rollout was initially claimed to coincide with Bruno Mars’ world tour for his album The Romantic. However, both Bruno Mars’ management and Live Nation—the tour promoter—issued a statement clarifying that no such partnership exists, stating they were never approached by Tools for Humanity for collaboration.
The confusion began during a Tools for Humanity event in San Francisco, where the company’s chief product officer mentioned the partnership. A subsequent blog post reiterated these claims, suggesting that verified individuals would gain access to VIP experiences during the tour.
Following the backlash, Tools for Humanity corrected its statements and clarified that Concert Kit will now be associated with the European tour of Jared Leto’s band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, instead. Bruno Mars’ management emphasized that they learned of the uses of their tour in promoting Concert Kit only after the company’s presentation.
A spokesperson for Tools for Humanity acknowledged that there is no agreement with Bruno Mars and no affiliation with his tour. Despite the controversy, the intention behind Concert Kit is to combat ticketing issues related to bots, an ongoing complaint against platforms like Ticketmaster, which is owned by Live Nation. Notably, the Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Ticketmaster effectively manages bot activity on its site.
The event also saw a cameo from Anderson .Paak, who criticized ticketing bots, highlighting the challenges faced by fans. Tools for Humanity used the event to position itself as a legitimate player in identity verification, aiming to demonstrate this capability by partnering with significant brands, as seen in their Lift Off event, attended by executives from various tech companies.
