We're happy to report that, since launching 45 months ago, Racket has grown to 4,462 members. They contribute to the city's best comment section; they regularly score free concert and comedy tickets; they enjoy unlimited articles from Minnesota's only writer-owned, reader-funded, alt-weekly-style media company.
The frustrating news? We've been stuck around that figure for months!
That's why we're excited to announce the biggest Spring Membership Drive yet, which we hope will propel us past the 5,000 mark. We're talkin' 50% off Lookout-tier memberships for your first 12 months—$25 in savings!
Plus, if you join Racket throughout the rest of May, you're automatically entered into a drawing for fabulous prizes, including...
- 10 Racket T-shirt + koozie + sticker prize packages
- Tickets to upcoming Live Nation shows: "I Love the '80s" at Uptown Theater; Nur-D at the Fillmore; Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Varsity Theater; Justice at the Armory; Halsey at Somerset Amphitheater; Summer of Loud feat. Parkway Drive and Killswitch Engage at Somerset Amphitheater
- Tickets to upcoming Parkway Theater shows: Sandra Bernhard; DUKES feat. Jane Wickline and Liva Pierce
- Tickets to Mia's "Giants"
- Tickets to the Walker Art Center
- Tickets to Dakota shows
- Tickets to First Avenue shows
- Tickets to the Heights Theater
- Tickets to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
- Trylon prize packages: 2 tickets, 1 popcorn, Trylon hat
- Gift cards to Indeed Brewing
- Gift cards to Insight Brewing
- Gift cards to Arbeiter Brewing
- Gift cards + T-shirts from Bull's Horn
- Gift cards to Marigold
- Gift cards to Bench Pressed
- Prize package from Flipside Dispensary & Music
5K isn’t just a nice round number. With that many subscribers, we—Em, Jay, Keith, and Jessica—could afford to pay ourselves what we were making at City Pages in 2020, right before the ol' ax fell. (If that benchmark/sales pitch sounds familiar from last year's Spring Membership Drive, we ended up falling just short in 2024—that's business for ya.)

You see, we quite literally could not do this without you. Racket doesn't receive any grant money, and it doesn't have any outside investors. Almost every dollar we earn comes from readers. That cash goes directly to us, the four owner/editors, and to a wonderful cast of 100+ local freelance contributors. If you’ve been enjoying and appreciating the award-winning journalism, the goofy journalism, and/or the weekly events coverage, we humbly ask that you come aboard.
OK, enough shop talk. Here's where we're at on our journey to 538 new members—let's fill this cartoon thermometer!

Half-off deal good for new subscribers only. Cancel anytime; subscriptions renew at full price ($50/year or $5/month) after 12 months. Cartoon thermometer updated daily.