Live Nation Employees Boast About "Gouging" Fans With Fees and Parking Costs in Private Exchanges: "Robbing Them Blind,

A pair of Live Nation employees joked about “gouging” fans with fees and parking costs at concerts, further adding that these concertgoers are “so stupid” and that Live Nation is “robbing them blind, baby,” according to private messages released as court documents as part of Live Nation’s monopoly lawsuit.

The messages, which were sent in 2022 between Live Nation employees Ben Baker and and Jeff Weinhold, were shared Wednesday as exhibits in the government’s case against the live music giant, after Live Nation had argued the documents weren’t relevant to the case. The plaintiff states, however, argued that it reflects Live Nation’s monopoly power as artists don’t want to gouge their fans, but Live Nation is able to “degrade the fan experience by charging excessive prices for ancillary services without fear of artists switching away.”

In a statement, Live Nation said “the Slack exchange from one junior staffer to a friend absolutely doesn’t reflect our values or how we operate.”

“Because this was a private Slack message, leadership learned of this when the public did, and will be looking into the matter promptly,” the representative said. “Our business only works when fans have great experiences, which is why we’ve capped amphitheater venue fees at 15 percent and have invested $1 billion in the last 18 months into U.S. venues and fan amenities.”

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live-nation-employees-boast-gouging-172115960.html