Unsealed Slack Chats Show Live Nation Execs Boasting of Price Gouging
Court-ordered unsealing reveals ticketing directors mocking fans and boasting of ancillary fee gouging during an antitrust trial and DOJ settlement with Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
Joe.My.God.CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread - Joe.My.God.
Salon"Robbing them blind": Live Nation execs boasted about overcharging customers
Vice News‘That’s How We Do It’: DMs Between Live Nation Directors Uncover Rampant, Cartoon-Villain Level Price Gouging
ABC NewsLive Nation employee mocks customers as 'so stupid' in internal messages released in court case
Overview
On March 11 Judge Arun Subramanian approved a motion to unseal Slack messages tied to the antitrust trial against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
On March 9, 2026 the U.S. Department of Justice reached a tentative settlement with Live Nation and Ticketmaster that avoids a forced sale, imposes a $300 million fine and caps service fees at 15 percent.
Government lawyers told the court the messages show Ben Baker calling fans 'so stupid,' admitting to 'gouge' practices and boasting 'robbing them blind,' while Live Nation called the exchange off-the-cuff banter and said leadership will investigate.
A spreadsheet in the Slack messages showed premier-parking gross revenue rising from roughly $470,000 in 2018 to about $666,000 in 2021.
More than two dozen state attorneys general have asked that the ongoing trial be scrapped and a new jury chosen as they weigh whether to continue litigation after the DOJ settlement.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources foreground damning internal Slack messages and government memoranda, using charged verbs like "boasted" and framing Live Nation's exclusion motion as defensive. They prioritize prosecutors' characterization, highlight sensational lines from employees while treating the company's rebuttal as procedural; collectively this emphasis builds a narrative of corporate gouging and concealment.
FAQ
The messages show ticketing directors, including Ben Baker, mocking fans as 'so stupid,' admitting to 'gouge' practices on ancillary fees, and boasting about 'robbing them blind.' A spreadsheet indicated premier-parking revenue rising from $470,000 in 2018 to $666,000 in 2021.
