Slack Messages Reveal Staff Jokes About Overcharging Concertgoers Amid DOJ Antitrust Case
(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Internal messages at Live Nation have cast doubt on the company’s public claims of prioritizing fans, according to newly unsealed documents highlighted by the New York Times. The Slack conversations, involving two regional ticketing directors, contain jokes about “gouging” concert attendees with fees for VIP access and parking. In some exchanges, the employees referred to customers as “so stupid” for paying extra and bragged that they were “robbing them blind baby,” according to exhibits in the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster’s parent company.
The messages, dating from late 2021 to early 2023, center on so-called ancillary fees, which cover add-ons like premium parking and VIP club access. In one instance at a 2022 Kid Rock concert, a $199 VIP club fee prompted the “so stupid” comment. Another thread celebrated a venue generating $666,000 in a single year from premium parking.
Live Nation had sought to keep the Slack chats out of court, arguing they were private jokes between employees and did not represent official company policy. Government attorneys disagreed, asserting that the messages provide an unfiltered look at how the company thinks about and prices ticket add-ons. Judge Arun Subramanian ultimately ordered the documents released after multiple news organizations, including the Times, requested access.
Live Nation responded by calling the messages “from one junior staffer to a friend” and stated they “absolutely do not reflect our values or how we operate.” The company added that leadership only became aware of the remarks once they were public and will review the situation. Court filings identify the employees as Ben Baker, now head of ticketing for Live Nation’s Venue Nation division, and Jeff Weinhold, a senior ticketing director in the Washington region.
The release of the messages comes as the lawsuit’s outcome remains uncertain. While the federal government and Live Nation have proposed a settlement, not all of the 39 states involved in the case have agreed, according to the AP.
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