“robbing them blind baby… that’s how we do it.”
That’s what a Live Nation Entertainment employee had to say about concertgoers forking over $50 or more just to park their cars, according to internal company messages unsealed in court Wednesday.
The messages, first reported by Bloomberg, came to light two days after the Trump Justice Department reached a baffling settlement to resolve its antitrust lawsuit against the entertainment colossus just one week into trial in New York.
Live Nation was accused of illegally monopolizing “nearly all live music” in the U.S., in part by threatening to punish venues if they didn’t use its infamous ticketing subsidiary, Ticketmaster, exclusively.
The 2022 Slack messages between Ben Baker and Jeff Weinhold, both regional ticketing directors for the company at the time, certainly won’t dispel the public perception that Live Nation is out to milk concertgoers for all they’re worth. Baker seemed to revel in how much customers were willing to pay in “ancillary” fees for things like parking and VIP access.
“I charge $50 to park in the grass lmao,” Baker bragged in one message. “I charge $60 to park in closer grass.”
“robbing them blind baby,” he wrote later. “that’s how we do it.”
“lol,” Weingold responded.
In another message, Baker wrote, “I gouge them on ancil[lary] prices.”
Live Nation said in a statement that it would be “looking into the matter promptly.” Both employees still work at the company, according to court filings.
“The Slack exchange from one junior staffer to a friend absolutely doesn’t reflect our values or how we operate,” the company said. “Because this was a private Slack message, leadership learned of this when the public did.”
“robbing them blind, baby… that’s how we do it.”
– Internal Live Nation Slack message
The company had tried unsuccessfully to keep the Slack messages out of public view, claiming in a filing that they were “irrelevant” and would lead to “unfair prejudice and jury confusion.”
“The Exhibits are candid, informal Slack messages between two personal friends who do not work together and have no reporting relationship,” Live Nation argued. “They reflect off-the-cuff banter, not policy, decision-making, or facts of consequence.”
Baker was expected to testify this week before his company reached a deal with the Trump administration, according to Bloomberg. More than two dozen states had joined the Justice Department in the antitrust lawsuit, and it’s possible they will continue to litigate the case if they can’t reach their own settlement.
The lawsuit against Live Nation was originally brought in 2024 under the Biden administration. The state attorneys general were reportedly blindsided by the mid-trial agreement with the Trump Justice Department this week.
As part of the settlement, Live Nation has agreed to cap ticketing service fees at 15% and to divest itself of the 13 exclusive ticketing arrangements it has with amphitheaters.