Two employees of Live Nation, the global entertainment company behind the popular ticketing platform Ticketmaster, joked and bragged about their ability to “gouge” customers and charge high fees in private conversations that were made public in recently unsealed court documents.
“These people are so stupid,” Ben Baker, whose most recent title is head of ticketing for Venue Nation, the division that oversees Live Nation's venues, wrote in 2022, referring to the company’s customers.
“I have VIP parking up to $250 lol,” wrote his colleague, Jeff Weinhold, another ticketing director.
“I almost feel bad taking advantage of them,” Baker responded.
The discussions detailed in the unsealed court exhibits are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Live Nation. The DOJ and 40 states sued Live Nation in 2024, alleging that the company developed a live event ticketing monopoly.
Both parties settled on March 9, with Live Nation standing by its claim that the Justice Department’s allegations against them “were without merit” and that the company would not admit any wrongdoing. Despite the settlement proposal, New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement Monday that she and more than two dozen fellow state attorneys plan to still pursue litigation against Live Nation, separate from the Justice Department.
Many messages contained in the court documents referred to “ancillary services.” At one point, Baker appeared to brag about implementing overcharges.
“I gouge them on ancil prices to make up for it,” Baker wrote.
“Preferred seating baby,” Weinhold replied.
In other messages, shared via the communications platform Slack, the two employees discussed how much they could charge customers for parking while offering them few to no amenities.
“I charge $50 to park in the grass lmao,” Baker wrote. “I charge $60 for closer grass.”
“$100 for oversize, which doesn’t give you ANY benefits. There’s no RV plug in's AND you still have to walk ¾ of a mile,” he continued.
“Robbing them blind baby,” Baker added. "That’s how we do it.”
A representative of Live Nation condemned their employees’ messages in a statement to ABC News and said the company “will be looking into the matter promptly.”
“The Slack exchange from one junior staffer to a friend absolutely doesn't reflect our values or how we operate. Because this was a private Slack message, leadership learned of this when the public did, and will be looking into the matter promptly,” the statement said. “Our business only works when fans have great experiences, which is why we've capped amphitheater venue fees at 15% and have invested $1 billion in the last 18 months into U.S. venues and fan amenities.”
ABC News attempts to contact Weinhold and Baker for comment did not immediately receive a response.
