Live Nation Ticket Director Downplays ‘Robbing Them Blind’ Chats

A Live Nation Entertainment Inc. ticketing director, who once denigrated fans in an internal chat as “so stupid” for being willing to pay high fees for VIP add-ons at concerts, minimized his comments to a New York jury at an antitrust trial against the company and its Ticketmaster unit.

Ben Baker, who now heads ticketing for all of Live Nation’s venues, testified that his language was “immature and regrettable” and that he was simply “testing market demand.” His chats from 2022, when he managed ticketing at a Live Nation venue in Tampa, Florida, were unsealed last week as evidence in the case. “These people are so stupid,” he wrote. “I almost feel bad taking advantage of them.”