'Bruno Mars Act': 4 Fast Facts About Senate Resolution Seeking To Stomp Out Concert Ticket Scalping

When Hawaii-born Bruno Mars set to take his Moonshine Jungle tour to Honolulu, 42 percent of tickets were bought by out-of-staters. Most of those buyers had no intention of coming to see Bruno Mars in concert. They were simply seeking to sell to those tickets to Hawaiians to turn a profit. These freeloaders got Hawaii Senate President Donna Mercado Kim angry that only 6 percent of locals were able to buy tickets at the box office. So, she proposed the "Bruno Mars Act." Especially since performing at the half-time show during the Super Bowl, Bruno Mars -- who is part Puerto Rican -- has been in high demand. As reported in Forbes Magazine, the average ticket price for his show at the 8,000-person Blaisdell Arena was about $100. However, the secondary market brought that average up to $446 earning resellers an estimated $1.2 million in profit.

Here’s a list of things to know about the proposed “Bruno Mars Act.”

1. The resolution came about after local residents were disappointed by the quick sell-out of the concert, which took place in only two hours , for the Bruno Mars show in April. "Despite waiting in line for hours, many fans were unable to purchase tickets to the upcoming Bruno Mars concert at the Blaisdell Center," said Kim via Hawaii News Now. "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."

2. If the “Bruno Mars Act” passes, tickets may only be purchased at the physical box office for the first 48 hours of the sale. This move is to ensure that local people who wait in line at box offices will get a ticket before they sell out. "If it sells in four or five days that's great," said Kim via KITV.com. "(But) sellout in three hours and the local venue doesn't even have an opportunity to be part of that program? To me something needs to be done."

3. The following entities will need to set purchasing terms for the state of Hawaii: Hawaii Community Development Authority, Aloha Stadium Authority, Department of Enterprise Services, Board of Regents, president of the University of Hawaii and chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

4. Even if the “Bruno Mars Act” is passed it will be difficult to enforce because it does not carry the weight of law.