By Kara Scannell | 2小时前 | 发布于 2026年3月19日，美国东部时间下午5:27
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Live Nation娱乐公司总裁兼首席执行官迈克尔·拉皮诺（Michael Rapino）周四在联邦法院作证时表示，其一位顶级票务高管在内部信息中谈及“榨干粉丝钱包”的言论“令人作呕”。
自2005年领导Live Nation以来的CEO迈克尔·拉皮诺（Michael Rapino）在回答关于不断上涨的票务费用、独家交易以及Live Nation在场馆、票务和广告方面利润率的重复提问时，谨慎措辞并多次反驳。
他周四被传唤至曼哈顿的民事反垄断审判庭作证，该案由多个州提起诉讼，指控拥有Ticketmaster的Live Nation存在垄断行为。大约20个州称，Live Nation通过独家交易收取高额费用来剥削消费者。
[相关文章：2024年5月23日好莱坞大道某办公楼外展示的Live Nation标志。Mike Blake/路透社] 法官斥责Live Nation和司法部进行秘密和解谈判（阅读时间：4分钟）
代表各州的律师杰弗里·凯斯勒（Jeffrey Kessler）追问拉皮诺过去几年粉丝购票费用上涨的问题，以及艺人对这些费用和票务规则的投诉。
凯斯勒拿出拉皮诺2016年发给一位参与阿拉巴马州摇摆乐队（Alabama Shakes）演唱会事务代表的信息，其中写道：“我们的费用太高了，我们无法为其辩护。”
拉皮诺表示不记得该电子邮件或其内容。
拉皮诺承认，包括阿黛尔（Adele）、保罗·麦卡特尼（Paul McCartney）和The Cure乐队在内的其他艺人有时也对票务问题表示不满。
拉皮诺为公司辩护称，他对自己打造的业务“非常自豪”。
“榨干他们的钱包，宝贝”
作证中途，拉皮诺被问及Ticketmaster一位高管在内部消息中嘲笑观众停车费上涨的言论。
2022年通过Slack消息系统发送的一条消息中，员工本·贝克（Ben Baker）写道：“榨干他们的钱包，宝贝。我们就是这么干的。”他的同事回复“哈哈”。
拉皮诺对此回应称：“这令人作呕，而且这不是我们的经营方式。”
另一条2022年的消息中，贝克称演出VIP区域的入场费用“他妈的离谱”，并补充道“这些人太蠢了”。
据美联社报道，贝克本周早些时候在庭审中作证称，他的言论“站不住脚”，并表示他只是对人们愿意支付的金额感到震惊。
拉皮诺同意，如果艺人想要在Live Nation旗下场馆演出，就别无选择，必须使用Live Nation的推广公司。他还承认，门票费用、现场停车费、餐饮费以及旗下露天剧场的草坪椅租赁费用均由消费者承担。
当被问及是否认为这些费用如贝克所说“离谱”时，拉皮诺回答：“不。”
在被问及Ticketmaster对二级市场票务销售收取20%费用时，拉皮诺反驳道：“只有我主张限制二级市场交易，所以这与你试图证明的动机相悖。”
凯斯勒随后追问拉皮诺过去的其他言论，包括2019年证词中他称“Live Nation是一个在城堡周围有不可思议护城河的商业模式”。
拉皮诺表示，“护城河”指的是他们的商业模式：“你想打造比别人更好的捕鼠器。我们在票务、场馆和演唱会推广方面领先很多，其他人现在已经复制了这种模式。”
凯斯勒后来再次追问，护城河是否指将场馆绑定在票务业务上的独家协议。
“这能防止竞争对手进入你的城堡，对吧？”凯斯勒问道。
“绝对不是，”拉皮诺回答。
在交叉询问中，Live Nation的一位律师问拉皮诺是否可以向麦迪逊广场花园（Madison Square Garden）所有者詹姆斯·多兰（James Dolan）（其拥有尼克斯篮球队和游骑兵曲棍球队）提出条件。
“他是你可以摆布的那种买家吗？”律师问道。
拉皮诺回答：“当然不是。”
各州预计下周将结束举证。
Live Nation CEO says it’s ‘disgusting’ that a top executive talked about ‘robbing fans blind’
By Kara Scannell | 2 hr ago | PUBLISHED Mar 19, 2026, 5:27 PM ET
Michael Rapino, president and chief executive officer of Live Nation Entertainment Inc., departs from federal court on March 19, 2026 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
The chief executive of Live Nation testified Thursday that it was “disgusting” that one of his top ticketing executives talked about “robbing fans blind” in internal messages.
CEO Michael Rapino, who has led Live Nation since 2005, parsed his answers and pushed back at times to repeated questions about rising ticket fees, exclusivity deals, and Live Nation’s profit margins on venues, ticketing and advertising.
He was called to the stand Thursday in a civil antitrust trial in Manhattan from states alleging that Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, operates as a monopoly. Roughly two dozen states say Live Nation is gauging customers by charging high fees through exclusivity deals.
[Related article A Live Nation sign is displayed at an office building along Hollywood Blvd on May 23, 2024. Mike Blake/Reuters Judge scolds Live Nation and Justice Department for secret settlement talks 4 min read]
Jeffrey Kessler, a lawyer representing the states, pressed Rapino about the increase in fees fans have paid for tickets over the last several years and artists’ complaints about those fees and ticketing rules.
Kessler confronted Rapino with a 2016 message he sent to a representative involved in Alabama Shakes concert, stating, “Our fees are too high we can’t defend them.”
Rapino said he didn’t remember the email or what it was referring to.
Other artists, including Adele, Paul McCartney and The Cure at times complained about ticketing, Rapino acknowledged.
Rapino defended the company saying he is “very proud” of the business he built.
‘Robbing them blind baby’
Midway through his testimony Rapino was asked about a derisive internal message sent by a Ticketmaster executive about an increase in premier parking fees charged to fans.
In a message sent over the Slack messaging system in 2022, the employee Ben Baker wrote, “robbing them blind baby. That’s how we do.” His colleague responded, “lol.”
Rapino said of the exchange. “It’s disgusting and it’s not the way we operate.”
In another message from 2022, Baker called fees charged for access to a VIP area of a show “f—ing outrageous,” adding “these people are so stupid.”
Baker testified at trial earlier this week that his remark was “indefensible,” and he said he was expressing shock at the amount people would pay, according to the Associated Press.
Rapino agreed that if an artist wants to perform at a venue owned by Live Nation they have no choice but to use the Live Nation promoter. He also acknowledged that fees for tickets, onsite parking, food and beverage and lawn chairs at the amphitheaters it owns comes out of fans’ pockets.
Asked if he thought those fees were “outrageous” as Baker called them, Rapino said, “No.”
Later when questioned about 20% fees Ticketmaster charges for secondary market ticket sales, Rapino retorted, “I’m the only one that says I want to cap secondary, so it goes against the motive you’re trying to deliver.”
Kessler asked Rapino about other past statements including one from a 2019 deposition where Rapino said, “Live Nation is a business model that has an incredible moat around the castle.”
Rapino said the moat is their business model. “You want to build a better mouse trap than the other guy. We were much ahead of the curve in owning ticketing, owning venues and concert promotion. Others replicated that now,” he said.
Kessler later pressed him again, asking if the moat refers to the exclusivity deals binding venues to the ticketing business.
“That keeps competitors from getting in your castle, correct?” Kessler asked.
“Absolutely not,” Rapino replied.
During cross examination, an attorney for Live Nation asked Rapino if he could dictate terms to James Dolan, the owner of Madison Square Garden, the Knicks basketball team and Rangers hockey team.
“Is he the kind of buyer you can push around?” the lawyer asked.
“Certainty not,” Rapino said.
The states are expected to rest their case next week.
发表回复