Entertainment giant Live Nation recently bought a stake in Iowa’s First Fleet Concerts, which aims to bring more acts to the region.
According to Axios, Live Nation quietly acquired the majority stake in the Iowa production company, owned by Sam Summers, last September. The deal does not include venues and property owned by Summers, like West Des Moines’ Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines, the 700-capacity club Wooly’s in Des Moines, and the multi-day festival in St. Charles, Hinterland.
Since the transaction, Summers told the publication that business is running as usual, though now, First Fleet has additional resources through Live Nation. Summers was initially against the idea of Live Nation building a venue in Des Moines, and in 2018, his venue Wooly’s signed a petition that opposed the entertainment giant entering the city, noting its “monolithic approach to business.”
Now, however, he said that after looking at the acquisition closer, “it checks a lot of boxes for me.”
“It allows us to bring more content to the market,” Summers said. “Our show count in the market is going to double now.”
Over the past year, Live Nation booked Larry June at Wooly’s — a tour that Summers said would not typically stop in Iowa. Additionally, larger acts crossing the country this year like Dashboard Confessional and Driveby Truckers are slated to appear at the Val Air this year.
This isn’t new for Live Nation; the company previously bought-out the largest promoters in cities like Birmingham, Madison, and Austin. The promoter giant is currently under fire for its alleged monopolistic and anticompetitive practices with its subsidiary Ticketmaster and is facing an investigation by the Department of Justice.
