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Live Nation ticketing employees called its customers \u201cso stupid\u201d and discussed \u201crobbing them blind\u201d on parking in internal messages, according to newly released court filings.<\/p>\n
The Slack message exchanges, from 2022, were released on March 11 as part of the Department of Justice\u2019s lawsuit against the live entertainment giant.<\/p>\n
Arun Subramanian, the federal judge overseeing the case in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, ordered Live Nation to unseal the messages in response to a request from media outlets The New York Times, Bloomberg and MLex.<\/p>\n
It came days after Live Nation and the Justice Department settled the case. The lawsuit accused the entertainment giant of operating an illegal monopoly over the industry.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Live Nation said, \u201cThe Slack exchange from one junior staffer to a friend absolutely does not reflect our values or how we operate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause this was a private Slack message, leadership learned of this when the public did, and will be looking into the matter promptly,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
The newly released Slack messages show exchanges between Live Nation employees Ben Baker and Jeff Weinhold, who were at the time regional directors of ticketing for venues in Florida and Virginia, respectively, according to court filings.<\/p>\n
In the messages, Baker and Weinhold discuss, in part, prices for non-ticket items like VIP club access and premier parking.<\/p>\n
In an exchange from 2022 about a Kid Rock concert, Weinhold wrote that he listed VIP parking for $250 and club access for $125.<\/p>\n
Baker wrote, \u201cThese people are so stupid,\u201d then added, \u201cI almost feel bad taking advantage of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
They discussed parking rates in another later exchange, during which Baker wrote, \u201crobbing them blind baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
Copies of the messages were initially sealed as part of the court proceedings.<\/p>\n
In a filing opposing the release of the messages, Live Nation described them as \u201ccandid, informal Slack messages between two personal friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey reflect off-the-cuff banter, not policy, decision-making, or facts of consequence to Plaintiffs\u2019 antitrust claims,\u201d the filing said.<\/p>\n
Alternatively, the Justice Department argued that the messages between Baker and Weinhold \u201cprovide a candid, contemporaneous look into how they view the prices that Live Nation charges fans for ancillary services at their respective venues.\u201d<\/p>\n
The messages were released on March 11, days after the Justice Department and Live Nation agreed to a settlement in the case, and a week after the trial began. The settlement has left the status of the trial unknown.<\/p>\n
As part of the deal, Live Nation agreed to divest from up to 13 of its amphitheaters nationwide and to enforce a 15% cap on service fees for people who use the venues, the company said.<\/p>\n
Ticketmaster, a subsidiary of Live Nation, is also required to offer its technology to other ticket sellers, such as StubHub, to reach customers, according to the agreement.<\/p>\n
New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced that her state, one of more than two dozen also part of the lawsuit, will not agree to the DOJ\u2019s settlement and instead continue legal action against Live Nation.<\/p>\n
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman and Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY<\/em><\/p>\n Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Live Nation employees mock fans in messages. \u2018Robbing them blind.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n