US Edition
Live Nation employee mocks customers as ‘so stupid’ in internal messages released in court case
Internal 2022 Slack messages reveal Live Nation ticketing directors bragged about charging excessive ancillary fees and mocking customers, amid ongoing federal antitrust scrutiny.
- On Wednesday, court filings showed Judge Arun Subramanian ordered the release of 2022 Slack messages between Ben Baker and Jeff Weinhold in the case, after Live Nation argued they were irrelevant.
- The U.S. Department of Justice antitrust division filed its 2024 lawsuit against Live Nation, which sought to keep Slack exchanges sealed, claiming they were irrelevant and informal banter.
- Ben Baker, regional ticketing director, wrote 'I gouge them on ancil prices', boasting about charging $50 to park in the grass and $60 for closer grass while calling concertgoers 'these people are so stupid'.
- The settlement requires Live Nation to pay $200 million, open Ticketmaster tech to third parties, limit exclusivity, and cap amphitheater fees at 15%, but over two dozen states rejected it as inadequate.
- Plaintiff states argued the messages show Live Nation monetizes its amphitheater monopoly by imposing fees that degrade fan experience, and if unresolved, the trial could resume next week with ongoing state actions.
54 Articles
54 Articles
Live Nation's Internal Chats Expose Controversial Fee Practices
Internal Slack messages exchanged by two senior Live Nation ticketing directors have been made public through a federal court, revealing employees describing their own company's fee practices in terms that will be difficult for Live Nation's legal team to explain away: 'These people are so stupid. I almost feel bad taking advantage of them.' The messages, running from late 2021 through early 2023, were first reported by Bloomberg and confirmed b…
Messages Show Live Nation Staffers Mocking 'Stupid' Fans
Live Nation's public line that it values fans just took a hit from its own Slack, the New York Times reports. Newly unsealed messages between two regional ticketing directors show them joking about "gouging" concertgoers for parking and VIP upgrades, calling customers "so stupid" for paying and boasting they were...
"Robbing them blind": Live Nation execs boasted about overcharging customers
Senior employees of Live Nation bragged about their ability other wring money out of ticket-buying customers, saying they were “robbing them blind.” In Slack messages from 2022, the live entertainment conglomerate’s current head of ticketing for their amphitheater division said that customers they charged for “ancillary” options like parking were “so stupid.” “I almost feel bad taking advantage of them,” Ben Barker wrote. The venue owner and ti…
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