Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Live Nation, a major concert promoter, reached a settlement regarding an antitrust lawsuit. The trial lasted only a week, during which Live Nation sought to prevent the jury from seeing a series of private messages from 2022 between two of its regional directors. On March 12, a federal judge in New York agreed to release these chats.
The conversations involved Ben Baker, now the head of ticketing for Venue Nation, and Jeff Weinhold, a senior director in the ticketing department. In these messages, Baker and Weinhold made jokes about overcharging fans, saying phrases like “Robbing them blind, baby” related to a Kid Rock concert. Baker added that he felt little guilt over taking advantage of customers, stating, “These people are so stupid.”
Live Nation argued that the direct messages were just casual conversation and not reflective of company policy. In a statement, the firm emphasized that these communications do not represent its values or operations. Baker was expected to testify during the trial.
The settlement requires Live Nation to limit its exclusive contracts with venues to four years and cap service fees at 15%. The company must sell its exclusive booking rights at 13 venues and allow competitors like SeatGeek and Eventbrite to offer tickets on its platform. However, several state attorneys general involved in the lawsuit still plan to continue legal action, which could lead to further complications.
