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MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 8, 2020. Credit: Noah Densmore \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\nMidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 8, 2020. Credit: Noah Densmore \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n
Anyone who hoped that Donald Trump was actually serious about taking on Ticketmaster and Live Nation<\/a> was let down this month when his Department of Justice (DOJ) announced plans to settle its antitrust suit against the concert giants.<\/p>\n Observers, including the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) were quick to point out that a proposed $280 million to pay any settlements in the case \u201cis the equivalent of 4 days of their 2025 revenue\u2026\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n But not every state is rolling over. Politico<\/a> says more than two dozen attorneys general have refused to sign on to a DOJ settlement that critics say falls short of properly addressing concerns surrounding monopolization in the live entertainment industry.<\/p>\n Tom DeGeorge, owner of Crowbar<\/a> in Tampa and Southeast Regional President for NIVA, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that Florida is among the states continuing the fight. CL reached out to Florida State Attorney James Uthmeier\u2019s office for additional comment.<\/p>\n How the trial plays out is unknown, but what is clear is how one employee at Live Nation feels about Tampa fans.<\/p>\n Two<\/a> exhibits<\/a> in the trial include messages between employees where Ben Baker\u2014then working in Tampa as a regional ticketing director for Live Nation\u2014joked about exorbitant parking and other ancillary charges like VIP access and lawn chair rentals.<\/p>\n The exchanges from 2022 show Baker and another employee, Jeff Weinhold, talking about sales surrounding concerts at Tampa\u2019s , which is operated by Live Nation. In them, the men discuss pricing for seats on a Zac Brown show, with Baker sharing a strategy for mitigating any losses. \u201ci gouge them on ancil prices to make up for it,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n In one exchange, Baker laughed about charging $50 for grass parking, adding \u201ci charge $60 for closer grass\u201d and telling Weinhold that he charges $100 for oversize parking that is still almost a mile from the venue entrance.<\/p>\n \u201crobbing them blind baby,\u201d Baker wrote in another message. \u201cthat\u2019s how we do\u201d<\/p>\n The New York Times <\/a>reported that messages about a 2022 Kid Rock show at Tampa\u2019s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre<\/a> include a \u201cVIP Club\u201d pricing chart, with a comment from Baker saying, \u201cThese people are so stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n Baker also lamented a show cancellation from Dead & Co.<\/a> because it would\u2019ve let him jump ahead in sales ahead of co-workers at the Hollywood Bowl.<\/p>\n In another message, Baker joked that he didn\u2019t know if he should \u201cbe nice\u201d and give a refund to a mother who would no longer be able to take her teenager to see AJR play MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre back in 2022.<\/p>\n Weinhold replied, \u201clos yes just give em the refund lol.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cyou\u2019ve gone soft,\u201d Baker replied.<\/p>\n Baker\u2019s most recent title is head of ticketing for Venue Nation, a division of Live Nation Entertainment that includes its amphitheaters.<\/p>\n In new testimony from the trial yesterday<\/a>, Baker expressed regret over his comments, but noted that he\u2019s been promoted twice since sending the messages.<\/p>\n Ticketmaster and Live Nation argued that the messages should not be allowed in the trial because they discussed \u201cnon-ticket ancillary products\u201d not part of the trial, adding that they did not learn about the exchange until the public did. In a statement to the NYT, Live Nation said the exchange was between \u201cone junior staffer to a friend\u201d and said it \u201cabsolutely doesn\u2019t reflect our values or how we operate.\u201d<\/p>\n A recent \u201cState Of Live\u201d report from NIVA<\/a> said that independent venues in Florida rank in the top three across the country in multiple economic measurements related to facilitating off-site tourism, jobs supported, industry jobs, tax revenue, wages paid, and more.<\/p>\n Despite the impact detailed in the report, only 35% of independent stages in Florida identified<\/a> themselves as profitable in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n DeGeorge, who opened Crowbar in Ybor City 20 years ago, will close his venue this summer due, in part, to rising rent. <\/p>\n Over the weekend, he urged followers to contact Florida\u2019s state attorney and encourage him to stay in the fight against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.<\/p>\n \u201cYou all have been in this fight with us since the beginning, and it\u2019s you that keeps us all going. We\u2019re all in this together because we all love live, and we want it to be affordable for everybody, and we want fair practices where these independent venues can exist for years and years and years to come,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n A listing<\/a> for the property owned by Ron Rampolla seeks $27.70 per square foot-per year at the 4,115 square-foot facility (just shy of $114,000\/year). The listing promises the next renter \u201ca rare opportunity to reimagine a legendary property that has shaped the city\u2019s nightlife and music scene for over two decades.\u201d<\/p>\n Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.<\/a><\/p>\n Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n This article appears in Mar. 12 \u2013 18, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Baker-Live-Nation-grass-parking-MidFlorida-Credit-Union-Amphitheatre.png\")
A screengrab from evidence in the DOJ\u2019s antitrust suit against Live Nation Entertainment. Credit: Public record<\/p>\n