A Live Nation regional ticketing director boasted in internal Slack messages of charging fans inflated parking fees and “robbing them blind,” according to newly unsealed court documents filed in the federal antitrust case seeking to break up the company and its Ticketmaster subsidiary.
The messages were exchanged in 2022 between Ben Baker, then a regional Director of Ticketing for venues including MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, and Jeff Weinhold, a regional Director of Ticketing for venues including Jiffy Lube Live. Baker has since been promoted to Head of Ticketing for Venue Nation, the division responsible for operating Live Nation‘s amphitheaters. Weinhold is now a Senior Director of Ticketing for the company’s Capital Region.
Baker wrote that he charged $50 to park in the grass and $60 for closer grass parking, adding that parking revenue alone ran nearly $200,000 higher than 2019 with fewer shows. A shared image showed premier parking revenue rising from $499,415 in 2019 to $666,230 in 2021. “Robbing them blind baby… that’s how we do,” Baker wrote. Weinhold replied, “lol.”
In a separate exchange about ticket prices and promotions, Baker wrote, “I gouge them on ancil prices to make up for it.” When Weinhold noted he had VIP parking listed at $250, Baker replied, “I almost feel bad taking advantage of them,” before asking whether he could charge $225 for club access after Weinhold raised his club prices to $125.
Evidence Fight Inside a Fractured Trial
Live Nation sought to exclude the Slack messages from trial, calling them irrelevant, “highly prejudicial,” and likely to “inflame the jury.” The US government and state attorneys general opposed the motion, arguing the messages directly support claims about how the company monetizes its position in the amphitheater market.
US District Judge Arun Subramanian of the Southern District of New York has not yet ruled on the exclusion motion but ordered the documents unsealed. The broader trial is itself in jeopardy after the Trump administration agreed to a proposed settlement with Live Nation on March 8 — the same day the motion to exclude was filed.
State attorneys general, who say they were blindsided by the settlement, have criticized its terms and asked for a mistrial to allow time to prepare for a new proceeding. The judge has reportedly urged both sides to pursue their own settlement talks and warned them to be ready to continue trial if no agreement is reached.
Company Distances Itself From the Messages
Live Nation described Baker as a “junior staffer” and said the exchange does not reflect company values or operations. “Because this was a private Slack message, leadership learned of this when the public did, and will be looking into the matter promptly,” the company said in a statement, adding that its “business only works when fans have great experiences” and pointing to a cap on amphitheater venue fees at 15 percent.
Prosecutors characterized the messages differently. Baker currently heads ticketing for the very amphitheater division Live Nation publicly promotes as a showcase for its fan experience, the government’s memorandum noted.
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