Live Nation Ticketing Director Promoted After Fee Leak
Live Nation is facing renewed scrutiny after internal messages about aggressive add-on pricing at its venues were revealed, raising fresh questions about how the concert giant really makes money beyond the face value of tickets. Critics are pointing to an employee who discussed gouging concertgoers on parking and VIP upgrades and has since been promoted into a national role overseeing ticketing.
Aakash Gupta reported that Ben Baker, described as a regional ticketing director when the 2022 Slack messages were written, later became head of ticketing for Venue Nation, with responsibility for ticketing across Live Nation amphitheatres nationwide.
The screenshots and summaries cited in the post focus on “ancillary” charges rather than base tickets, including claims of $199 “VIP Club Admission” for a Kid Rock concert, $250 VIP parking at a Virginia venue, and tiered grass parking options. The post also alleges Baker wrote that “Robbing them blind baby. That’s how we do it,” while describing how add-on revenue could be used to “make up for” other pricing decisions.
The controversy arrives as Live Nation’s business practices remain in the spotlight, with the thread framing the messages in the context of a DOJ settlement that does not require Ticketmaster to be divested. Alternative Nation previously reported on the same episode when Live Nation staff were accused of insulting fans before a Kid Rock show.
Even for fans who manage to avoid high ticket service fees, the episode underscores how parking, VIP access, and other in-venue upgrades can significantly raise the real cost of attending a major concert, and why regulators and state attorneys general continue to press for tougher remedies.
Live Nation generated $25.2 billion in revenue last year. The DOJ just let them off with a settlement that doesn’t require divesting Ticketmaster. Then the Slack messages leaked.
Ben Baker was a regional ticketing director when he wrote those messages in 2022. He’s since been… https://t.co/5GldAq5xhh
— Aakash Gupta (@aakashgupta) March 13, 2026
