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Bruno Mars: The catalyst to curb ticket scalping?

Bruno Mars tickets were sold out in two hours in Hawaii. But only six percent of those who waited in the box office line got tickets. That's why Hawaii is considering the "Bruno Mars Act" to limit online ticket sales.

Bruno Mars was paid nothing by the NFL for performing for 12.5 minutes at the Super Bowl half-time show.

But the publicity was definitely bankable.

In fact, the day after the Super Bowl, tickets to his concerts in Hawaii sold out in two hours. A win-win for the NFL and Bruno Mars.

So why are fans in Hawaii upset?

Only six percent of the fans who lined up at the Blaisdell Arena box office in Honolulu got tickets. In other words, only 1,584 people who stood in line, actually got tickets to the three Bruno Mars shows in Hawaii.

Who got the rest of the tickets? 

According to The Associated Press, 42 percent of the 26,400 total seats (8,800 per show) went to buyers in the US mainland and Canada. In other words, scalpers.

At the box office, the average Bruno Mars ticket price was under $100. Scalpers are selling those same tickets now for $446.

That didn't sit right with Hawaii Senate President Donna Mercado Kim. She has introduced a resolution urging concert and entertainment venues to require only in-person ticket sales for the first 48 hours.

"Anyone who takes the time to show up in person should have the opportunity to purchase tickets for at least the first two days before opening up to online sales. It's unfortunate that out-of-state ticket brokers and scalpers will resell these concert tickets back to local residents for an enormous profit. Our residents should enjoy a night of entertainment without having to pay inflated prices," said Senator Kim in a statement.

Kim introduced a Senate Resolution on Feb. 11, which was quickly dubbed the “Bruno Mars Act.”

"In the Bruno Mars act does pass, it could be an interesting test in one way to curb profits in the ticket resale market.  In a state like Hawaii that is physically disconnected from the rest of the country, it could actually be an effective way to ensure that people who wanted to see the show had ample time to get the venue to buy tickets," writes Jesse Lawrence the CEO of TiqIQ.com.

But Lawrence says that it's a localized solution to Internet scalpers. "A mainland version of The Bruno Mars Act would likely just mean immeasurably long lines and a system that brokers would manipulate in more manual ways," he writes.

And Lawrence notes that the Bruno Mars concert sellout is a relatively rare situation. Most concerts don't sell out.

Miley Cyrus tickets, anyone?

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