Live Nation Can ‘Gouge’ Fans on Fees, Ticketing Executives Boast

Two Live Nation Entertainment Inc. executives bragged about the high fees the company charges fans at its venues, joking in internal messages that the company is “robbing them blind” and that “these people are so stupid” that “I almost feel bad taking advantage of them.”

In a series of chats from 2022, Ben Baker and Jeff Weinhold, two regional directors of ticketing for Live Nation amphitheaters, boasted about their ability to raise so-called “ancillary fees” – like parking, lawn chair rentals and VIP access – and still get concertgoers to pay for them. In one exchange, Weinhold gloated about raising ...