Live Nation Staffers Bragged About Gouging Customers: “I Almost Feel Bad”
Court documents in the antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation revealed the exchanges between employees Ben Baker and Jeff Weinhold.
Stock photo, Getty Images.
Live Nation employees joked about “gouging” fans, according to private messages released in court documents as part of Live Nation’s monopoly lawsuit. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a pair of directors made remarks about fleecing fans with concert fees and parking costs, mocking concertgoers as “so stupid” and noting that Live Nation is “robbing them blind, baby. ” The messages were sent in 2022 between Live Nation employees Ben Baker and Jeff Weinhold.
The communications were shared Wednesday, as exhibits in the government’s case against the live music giant. The plaintiff argued that it shows Live Nation to be a monopoly power, as the company is able to “degrade the fan experience by charging excessive prices for ancillary services without fear of artists switching away.”
“The Slack exchange from one junior staffer to a friend absolutely doesn’t reflect our values or how we operate,” Live Nation said in a statement. “Because this was a private Slack message, leadership learned of this when the public did, and will be looking into the matter promptly.
“Our business only works when fans have great experiences, which is why we’ve capped amphitheater venue fees at 15 percent and have invested $1 billion in the last 18 months into U.S. venues and fan amenities.”
Baker oversees ticketing for Live Nation’s venue nation unit. “I almost feel bad taking advantage of them,” he said in one exchange.
The documents that included the text messages were filed days after Live Nation and the Department of Justice agreed to a settlement over the case. When the DOJ initially sued the company in 2024, the department had called for the breakup of Live Nation’s eponymous concert promoter from Ticketmaster. The case, brought under President Joe Biden's administration in 2024, accused Live Nation of using threats, retaliation and other tactics to “suffocate the competition” by controlling virtually every aspect of the industry, from concert promotion to ticketing.
