Live Nation Director's Messages Unsealed in Antitrust Case

Internal communications from a Live Nation regional director, boasting about "gouging" ticket buyers and "robbing them blind" with ancillary fees, were unsealed yesterday by US District Judge Arun Subramanian in the Southern District of New York. These Slack messages, exchanged in 2022 between Live Nation employees Ben Baker and Jeff Weinhold, detail strategies for increasing revenue from services like parking and VIP access, with Baker noting a nearly $200,000 increase in parking revenue with fewer shows compared to 2019.

Live Nation had sought to exclude these messages from an ongoing antitrust trial, arguing they were irrelevant and prejudicial. However, the US government and state attorneys general opposed this motion, asserting the messages are directly relevant to claims that Live Nation leverages its dominant position in the amphitheater market to impose excessive prices.

Baker, who was a regional Director of Ticketing in 2022, has since been promoted to Head of Ticketing for Venue Nation, Live Nation's amphitheater operating component.

The unsealing of these documents occurs amidst uncertainty surrounding the trial, as the US government and Live Nation recently informed the court of a proposed settlement. State attorneys general, who were reportedly blindsided by this development, have criticized the settlement terms and requested a mistrial to prepare for continued litigation.