😁 Happy Friday! March has officially arrived, which means we’ve reached that time of year when the calendar says “Spring is coming,” but the weather still likes to keep us guessing. One minute we’re enjoying sunshine and fresh air, and the next we’re wondering why we didn’t grab a heavier jacket— March is basically winter’s last practical joke.

Weekend Weather:
Today ⚡ Hi 66, Sat ⛅ Hi 49, Sun ☀ Hi 65, Mon ☀ Hi 70

B&A Club:
🎂 Happy Birthday
JoAnn Sapp -- Carroll
Penelope Hempstead -- Breda (9 yrs)
Barb Goodner -- Carroll
🥂 Happy Anniversary
none reported

The landmark antitrust trial kicked off on Tuesday, though the ticketing giant maintains that it’s simply spreading joy.

Millie Giles

During his opening statement on Tuesday, David Dahlquist, attorney for the US Justice Department, told jurors: “The concert ticket industry is broken, in fact the concert industry itself is broken. It is controlled by a monopolist. It is controlled by Live Nation.”

By contrast, Live Nation’sLYV $158.23 (-0.26%) opening remarks for what could be the most consequential legal battle the modern music industry has seen took a more jovial tone. The Verge reported that the entertainment giant’s counsel pointed mostly to the good times, with slides of popular artists’ concerts underscoring its argument that the company is “all about bringing joy to people’s lives and doing it lawfully.”

The DOJ first filed the antitrust lawsuit back in 2024, accusing Live Nation — which merged with ticket sales and distribution company Ticketmaster in 2010 — of illegally monopolizing the live music market.

Now, over the next six weeks in a Manhattan courtroom, a jury will decide whether the combined company has wielded its dominance to stifle competition and whether it should be broken up or otherwise penalized.

Incidentally, Live Nation-Ticketmaster also released its full-year earnings for FY2025 around two weeks ago. So, just how big is the music titan today?

Live Nation posted record-breaking total revenues of $25.2 billion in 2025, up 9% from the year before, with its biggest quarter landing, as it often does, in the summer months of Q3. The company’s concert division posted around $20.9 billion in revenue across 2025 — equivalent to 83% of its year-end total — while its ticketing division accounted for just $3 billion (~12%).

Though concerts have long been the beating heart for revenue in the Live Nation business, its ticketing system is actually the profit center, with a 37% adjusted operating profit margin, netting $1.1 billion over the period — compared with a much smaller 3% margin for concerts (~$687 million). Sponsorships and ads, meanwhile, consistently deliver high margins (64% in FY2025) due to the sector’s relatively low expenses.

While the high expenditure required to operate live events eats into the concert division’s profits, the rising margins in Live Nation’s ticketing system will be a major pressure point in the DOJ’s monopoly case, with the company having drawn particular scrutiny over its pricing model.

A watershed moment came in 2022, when demand for tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour crashed the Ticketmaster site and saw fans shell out thousands to attend; similar upset occurred in 2024 for those trying to score tickets to the Oasis reunion.

But even with concert ticket prices much higher than before — a 2025 survey from Pollstar found that the average US ticket price for the top 100 tours in the US was $135.92, up 41% from 2019 — more people than ever are going to live events.

Across ~55 million events around the world last year, Live Nation estimated that almost 160 million fans were in attendance in total — a 9% increase from just two years ago.

To an extent, people might just enjoy going to gigs more than they used to. The constant expansion of its already huge portfolio of venues presumably doesn’t hurt the company’s gig attendance figures, though, nor its ticket sales. As reported by Bloomberg, Live Nation controls more than 265 concert venues in North America alone, with the DOJ alleging that it controls 87% of the concert ticketing market through its Ticketmaster subsidiary.

When people empty their pockets to see their favorite artists perform live, they usually want something to remember the time by, or they’re maybe willing to fork out a little more for an elevated experience... which Live Nation also manages to squeeze significant profit out of.

Indeed, beyond sponsorships and promotions — Live Nation currently manages more than 400 musical artists, giving it more than 65% of the concert promotion market, the DOJ argues — merchandise and premium offerings are bright spots that gild the company’s event business.

Clearly, whatever the outcome of the trial, Live Nation has become a virtuoso in its ability to spread itself across every facet of the modern ticket-buying and concert-going experience, while keeping its own business in fine tune.

A sure sign of spring’s arrival is the start of the fundraising for the Friends of Kuemper Ball, benefiting the Kuemper Catholic School System. The event is now in its 42nd year, and Heather Pietig, the parochial school’s advancement director, says it is remarkable to look back at the ball’s history and see how much it has grown over the past four decades. The 42nd annual Friends of Kuemper Ball is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, at the Kuemper Fieldhouse on Grant Road, and tickets are now available via www.kuemper.org/ball or any of the school offices. Pietig says they are excited to deviate from previous years somewhat for this year’s theme. The always popular vehicle raffle, sponsored by Wittrock Motors, Champion Ford, Motor Inn, Team Auto, Macke Motors, and New Way Ford, and the ag raffle, sponsored by Rueter’s Equipment, Haley Equipment, and Van Wall Equipment, are once again part of the ball’s fundraising plans. The chairs for this year’s event are Matt and Laura Hausman, and Ryan and Dani Steinkamp, and Pietig says that group will lead the at-large effort. The Friends of Kuemper Ball has become the school’s largest annual fundraiser, and supports everything from staff salary enhancements and tuition assistance to technology purchases and campus ministry. This year’s fundraising coincides with Kuemper’s uKnighted capital campaign for campus expansions and improvements. Pietig says it is important stakeholders know these are separate initiatives, but both are needed. The Cupola, owned and operated by Deb and Howard Koster, hosted last night’s (Wednesday) kickoff festivities. Pietig offers a special thank you to the many volunteers, staff, parents, students, and supporters, as it is their contributions of time, treasure, and talent that make the Kuemper Ball a success every year.

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💰 Everyone is welcome this Friday to Glidden to participate in the Glidden Community Auction, raising money to continue supporting several events and projects for residents. First established in the early 90’s, the Glidden Community Auction is hosted by Haggai Masonic Loge #369, with over 100 items up for bid this year that were donated by individuals and businesses. Items range from treats, to gift certificates for services, and everything else in between. The night kicks off on Friday, March 6 at the Lincoln Club for a  social hour with cash bar and food available starting at 6 p.m. Attendees will then have the opportunity to walk around to view the various of items that will be available to bid on starting at 7 p.m. New this year, the Glidden-Ralston Shooting Sports team, one of the many recipients that benefited from the funding raised during the auction fundraiser, will be presenting each item for bid. All of the proceeds from the evening will be used to help projects and organizations like: treat bags for various events, life jackets at the pool, supplies for teachers and much more. Again, everyone is welcome to join the Haggai Masonic Lodge #369 this Friday at the Lincoln Club for the annual tradition of the Glidden Community Auction.

🏗 The City of Coon Rapids is exploring the idea of developing additional senior rental housing in the community. The city’s Development Group is working with Region XII Council of Governments on the proposed project, with potential to construction two duplexes, which will create four units available for seniors. Each unit would be approximately 1,100 square feet, with two bedrooms, a bathroom, attached garage and zero-entry access. To address if this is a need for the community, a survey is being sent out to Coon Rapids residents with this month’s utility bill. The survey may also be completed online using the link included here. Survey responses must be turned in by March 24 to the City Clerk’s Office.

🎒 East Sac County (ESC) Community School District will be holding a public hearing for the district’s Board of Education consideration of continued participation in the Instructional Support Program. Last established prior to Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, ESC Board of Education now needs to renew to continue the Instructional Support Levy (ISL) levying ten percent of the total regular program district cost through property taxes and the one percent income surtax rate for a total of $474,691. Superintendent Nathan Hemiller says the board needs to adopt the resolution every five years. Hemiller notes that this is very common in school districts across the state, with only one of the 325 districts not utilizing an ISL. Hemiller says ESC proposed tax rate will actually be less this year than in FY26. A public hearing for the ISL will be on March 16 at 6 p.m. at the High School Library. Hemiller says that is the opportunity for the public to come voice concerns in front of the school board and administration, but wants to emphasize again that this is not a new tax. Anyone with additional questions is welcome to contact Hemiller at 712-665-5000 or email at [email protected].

Wendl’s Weapons Indoor Range has created this special feature to honor local veterans in a meaningful way and so we can celebrate them for their years of service and dedication for protecting our freedoms. Each month there will be a special featured veteran that will be highlighted right here on this page, plus you will see it on Carroll Broadcasting’s social media accounts, and hear about it when there is a new feature. But we also want your participation as well. Please take a moment to nominate a veteran that you would like to highlight using the simple form below. Together with Wendl’s Weapons Indoor Range let’s recognize our local veterans in a way that our local communities can acknowledge them in an impactful way by highlighting their Branch of Service, Year’s of Service, Photos and their Story. NOMINATION FORM

At the start of each week the Carroll Broadcasting Sports Network Crew catches up with area high school coaches to recap their previous weeks events and preview the match ups that are happening for the week ahead. Listen here and subscribe.

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After some Des Moines residents said they felt left in the dark about the decision to light Waveland Golf Course, they are questioning the city's choice to enter into a 15-year contract with Des Moines' longtime golf course management partner without a public bid.

Why it matters: The city has not put its golf course management contract out for public bid in nearly 20 years, and the new agreement locks in C Corporation through at least 2040 to manage and generate revenue from Waveland, Blank and Grandview golf courses.

Driving the news: On Dec. 22, 2025, the Des Moines City Council approved a consolidated management agreement with C Corp and granted an exception to the city's standard competitive procurement ordinance, citing "good cause."

State of play: Des Moines Parks and Recreation Director Ben Page says he recommended not going to a public bid for the golf courses because the city has had a decades-long positive experience with C Corp, and the financial terms are favorable to taxpayers.

What they're saying: Page says no competitors have expressed interest in managing the golf courses, though they have not been up for public bid in 20 years.

The other side: Rocky Sposato, president of Terrace Hills Golf Course, says he would have bid on a contract to manage the golf courses.

Molly Berggren, a Waveland neighborhood resident, previously told Axios that it didn't feel like the city had done its due diligence.

The big picture: C Corp, owned by the Chiodo family, has long operated the city's golf courses.

What's next: The City Council may still need to approve a separate agreement between C Corp and Musco Lighting for the details surrounding the Waveland lighting project.

More State Headlines:

✅DON’T FORGET: Spring ahead is this weekend!

✅READ: Traditional Chinese Medicine is trending right now.

✅SPRING FORWARD: A fresh season is the perfect reminder to test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to keep your home safe.

✅PLAN AHEAD: Spring is just 14 days away. Here’s a weeks worth of Spring Cleaning ideas!

✅SATURDAY: Manning Hausbarn’s 9th Annual Rib & Soup Cook off!

✅SUNDAY: Pottery Paint and Spring Open House at The Market Place!

✅SIGN UP: Join the Robinson Rhunke, PC ‘Movie Madness’ Bracket Challenge

Mini Crossword: For those of you that wake up each morning wanting a challenge —how fast can you complete this mini-crossword. Ready, set, go.

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