Live Nation has issued a response after messages emerged in which Ticketmaster executives appeared to brag about overcharging customers.
The messages, part of the Justice Department’s antitrust case against the ticketing giant, show staff exchanging comments on Slack, a popular workplace messaging platform, between 2021 and 2023.
In one message included in the court documents, former regional director Ben Baker wrote: "These people are so stupid," adding, "I almost feel bad taking advantage of them".
"Robbing them blind baby. That’s how we do it," another part read.
Baker and fellow employee Jeff Weinhold also appear to mock raising parking prices.
"VIP parking was supposed to be $75. I now START at $100," Weinhold writes, according to the documents.
In a statement shared on Thursday (12 March), Live Nation said the Slack exchange "from one junior staffer to a friend absolutely doesn’t reflect our values or how we operate".
It continued: "Because this was a private Slack message, leadership learned of this when the public did, and will be looking into the matter promptly".
Lawyers argue the messages should be admitted as evidence in the Manhattan federal court trial against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, saying they contain "candid, internal messages" in which Baker "calls fans ‘so stupid,’ explains that he 'gouge(s)' them, and brags that Live Nation is ‘robbing them blind, baby.'"
Lawyers said the exchange between Baker and Jeff Weinhold centred on Live Nation’s pricing for entry to the VIP section at a show at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, where they described the cost as "outrageous".
The released conversations ignited outrage on social media, prompting many users to call for a complete boycott of the shows.
"STOP GOING TO CONCERTS PERIOD," one shared. "Sure, it sucks for your favorite millionaire artist, but THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THIS CHANGES. NO ONE IS FORCING YOU TO SPEND $600 DOLLARS TO see Jelly Roll in the nosebleeds. Go see a movie instead".
Meanwhile, Barstool Sports' president, Kelly Keegs, wrote: "Blood boiling. F*** Ticketmaster forever."
Indy100 reached out to Live Nation for further comment
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