Live music promoter Live Nation has admitted that it placed tickets for Metallica gigs directly onto secondary ticketing sites for resale.

The revelation has come after a secret 11-minute phone call between an associate of Metallica, a Live Nation business partner and a senior Live Nation executive was leaked to Billboard. The call captures the Live Nation executive outlining how the company can bypass normal ticketing websites where gig tickets can be bought at face value.

Live Nation has long maintained that is against ticket touting, but the call clearly captures the executive saying that the tickets can be sent directly to resale websites like StubHub and Viagogo. The company then admitted that, though it was an 'unusual' move, it did put tickets for Metallica's 2017 WorldWired stadium tour of North America directly onto resale sites.

"Live Nation does not have a practice of placing tickets on the secondary market," said a company spokesperson. "Our standard practice is to use Ticketmaster's Platinum, VIP and other tools to help tours price closer to true market value."

The spokesperson continues: "In this situation, a consultant for the band opted to use the secondary market to try to capture that value."

A representative for Metallica says that the band were unaware of the practice and had delegated ticketing matters to a 'consultant'. Live Nation also told Billboard that Metallica tour was not the only instance of passing tickets directly to resale sites, but the company maintains that it only does so when musicians or their representatives ask it to.