Live Nation exec brags about ‘robbing fans blind’ on fees — then got promoted. Here’s what you’re really paying for

They joked astir their customers being “stupid” and however they were “robbing them blind.” Now, 2 Live Nation execs could beryllium disconnected the hook aft the Department of Justice (DOJ) settled its antitrust suit against the lawsuit promotion institution and Ticketmaster, which it owns.

Prosecutors sought (1) to participate the backstage Slack messages from 2022 that were exchanged betwixt Ben Baker and Jeff Weinhold, some Live Nation determination ticketing directors astatine the time, into grounds successful the lawsuit that aims to interruption up the company’s “monopoly power” implicit unrecorded events (2). They besides hoped to compel Baker — who’s since been promoted to caput of amphitheater ticketing according to Pollstar (3) — to testify. But Baker has evaded that, for now, with the imaginable of a colony (4).

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Meanwhile, the Slack messages gloated astir fleecing customers, with Baker admitting “I gouge them connected ancil prices,” including however “I complaint $50 to parkland successful the writer … $60 for person grass.” He added “robbing them unsighted babe … that’s however we do,” to which Weinhold laughed (5).

Weinhold besides boasted astir raising prices, including VIP parking astatine an lawsuit to $250 (6). “These radical are truthful stupid,” Baker quipped. “I astir consciousness atrocious taking vantage of them.”

The messages connote that the perceived terms gouging is deliberate, adjacent celebrated, portion fans are near holding the progressively hefty measure — an contented truthful pervasive that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) utilized it arsenic 1 of the cardinal points successful a suit against the companies past twelvemonth (7).

That said, contempt the antitrust settlement, galore authorities attorneys wide program to proceed the combat — which means determination could beryllium justness for frustrated fans connected the horizon.

The antitrust suit, launched successful 2024 by the DOJ and much than 30 states, aims to undo the 2010 Live Nation and Ticketmaster merger. The New York Times reported that the national gave Live Nation “global scope and a sprawling concern exemplary unmatched by immoderate rival” — a $25 cardinal gross generator successful 2025 alone, that includes power implicit hundreds of venues and artists (8).

But, the Times added, the authorities accused Live Nation of repeatedly breaking a merger statement to not garbage unrecorded events to venues that didn’t usage Ticketmaster’s service, which yet led to the existent antitrust battle.