Big Pimpin’ at the Benefit

“This charity and concert encompass the true spirit of New York City,” said Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter last week when announcing that the proceeds from his Madison Square Garden benefit concert would go to the families of fallen first responders.

But some enterprising ticket scalpers on the darker side of NYC's spirit are taking advantage of his generosity and Jay-Z is furious about it. When the hip-hop megastar’s charity show sold out on Tuesday morning, scalpers had already begun posting hundreds of tickets on eBay and other secondary resale sites, with prices ranging from $200 to $3,000 per ticket, or upwards of 61-times their face value. One ticket broker was reportedly even reselling tickets to the event for an incredulous $45,000.

Should benefit shows be fair game for ticket scalpers? And could Jay-Z or Ticketmaster have done more to prevent the obscene rash of parasites? In the past, other artists -- including Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty -- have effectively hampered scalpers by taking measures such as setting a two-ticket limit, forcing buyers to pick up their stubs just before the show, and requesting that eBay remove any tickets listed above face value.

Originally priced at $54.50 with a purchase limit of six tickets, proceeds from Jay-Z's eighth anniversary 9/11 benefit are earmarked for the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund. But due to the flood of scalpers, many earnest Jay-Z fans were shut out of Ticketmaster at 9 a.m. when the event – in support of his new disc “The Blueprint 3” – quickly sold out.

“We are truly disheartened that certain individuals would choose to benefit from what is meant to be a 100 percent charitable event,” an outraged Jay-Z announced on Tuesday. “We do not support any profits made from reselling any ticket that was meant to be purchased by honest fans.”

'Nuff said.

Photo courtesy Roc-A-Fella Records.