Court documents released in the Department of Justice's antitrust case against Live Nation have exposed internal Slack messages that reveal exactly what the ticketing giant thinks of its customers: they're "stupid" marks to be fleeced.
The exchanges between Ben Baker, ticketing head for Venue Nation's Florida operations, and Jeff Weinhold, senior ticketing director for the D.C. region, make for uncomfortable reading. "Robbing them blind, baby," one employee wrote about premium parking fees. "That's how we do." Another acknowledged they "gouge them on ancil prices" while characterizing fans as "so stupid" for accepting the charges.
The most damning detail? For a 2022 Kid Rock amphitheater show in Virginia, VIP parking hit $250. A single venue generated $666,000 in premier parking revenue in 2021 alone. One employee had a moment of conscience: "I almost feel bad taking advantage of them." Almost.
Live Nation initially fought to keep these messages private, dismissing them as "off-the-cuff banter, not policy." But that defense rings hollow when the numbers back up the attitude. Judge Arun Subramanian ordered their release following a settlement agreement, and individual states continue pursuing separate legal action.
This is the business of live entertainment in 2026: a consolidated monopoly with such market dominance that its employees can openly joke about price-gouging because they know customers have nowhere else to go. The DOJ's antitrust case argues Live Nation's merger with Ticketmaster created exactly this scenario - a company so powerful it doesn't have to pretend to respect its customers.
What these messages reveal isn't just corporate cynicism. It's the logical endpoint of unchecked consolidation in the entertainment industry. When one company controls ticketing, venues, and promotion, "robbing them blind" isn't banter. It's the business model.
In Hollywood, nobody knows anything - except how to charge $250 for parking, apparently.
