This one is not music to the ears. Newly unsealed court documents tied to the federal antitrust case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster revealed internal Slack conversations in which employees mocked concertgoers and joked about aggressive pricing practices. According to reports, employees referred to fans as “so stupid,” discussed charging up to $250 for VIP parking, and joked about “robbing them blind” through add-on fees and premium experiences.
The reaction online was immediate – not just because people are already frustrated with ticket prices, but because the messages seemed to confirm what many fans, and regulators, already believe: that companies know customers feel trapped by fees and rising costs, and sometimes privately joke about it while publicly talking about “fan experience.”
From a crisis management perspective, this is a reminder of a simple reality companies still struggle with: internal communication is no longer private communication. (Need more proof, check this out.)
Slack messages leak. Screenshots spread. Court cases compel the disclosure of internal discussions. Employees share conversations externally. In practice, companies should operate with the assumption that almost anything written internally could one day become public.
That is what makes stories like this so damaging. The issue is not just the comment itself, but rather the disconnect between what audiences hear publicly, what they see privately and what you portray your values to be. Once people believe a business says one thing externally while thinking another internally, trust becomes much harder to rebuild.
There are similarities to Exxon’s communications controversy from a few years ago, where internal discussions appeared to conflict with public positioning (namely that the CEO inferred that the public was to blame for the climate issues or this one where a lobbyist was recorded). In all cases, the reputational damage came less from one isolated remark and more from what the comments appeared to reveal about culture and mindset.
And that culture piece matters.
In our experience, we’ve unfortunately found that employees usually do not make comments like this in a vacuum. If dismissive language about customers becomes normalized internally – even jokingly – there is a higher chance those attitudes eventually show up publicly, whether through leaks, recordings, customer interactions, or litigation.
That is why crisis management today is not just about drafting statements after something goes wrong. It is also about paying attention to the culture inside the organization before something leaks.
At the end of the day, leaked messages tend to become symbolic. People are not only reacting to one employee’s words. They are reacting to what they believe those words reveal about the company behind them.
Here are a few thought starters you can discuss at your next team meeting to help your leaders and team see how your business would handle this situation:
Discussion Questions:
- If you were advising Live Nation, would you directly address the leaked comments publicly or pretend it didn’t happen?
- How can companies encourage honest internal discussion without creating a culture where disrespectful comments become normalized?
- How would you pressure test internal communications and pricing strategies for reputational risk before they become public?
Expert Guidance: Take a hard look at your culture. Do any changes need to be made?
Kith facilitates crisis preparedness workshops that will help your company attain the clarity, trust, and strategic speed you need to respond confidently – no dithering! – to any crisis. We’d be happy to have a conversation about how we can help your company be ready to chart an effective course to reputation protection.
Looking for more fresh insights? Crisis of the Month is a no-fluff Substack that breaks down real-world crises and what they teach us about leadership, communication, and damage control. Whether you’re in comms, ops, or just crisis-curious, this is your monthly guide to what went wrong — and how to do it better. Sign up today!
