What is ‘blue dot fever’ in concert touring and why is it happening now?

[smahala1991]

Blue dot fever is the current term for musical acts that are not selling very well so they are cancelling dates. Current affected are The Pussycat Dolls, Meghan Trainor, Zayn Malik, and even Jlo. Yet Hillary Duff, Sabrina Carpenter, and Olivia Rodrigo are still selling out venues. Is it just a case of no one wants to see the blue dot artists anymore, or Is it current economic trends?

[Anonymous]

Dolly Parton's residency show was sold out months in advance but she had to drop out due to her health. She said she probably won't ever be able to perform again. Zayn Malik is also canceled due to health, not poor sales. Pussycat Dolls are not mainstream enough in the U. S. to support the massive costs of a tour, so they are retreating back to Europe where they are very popular. Meghan Trainor 'says' she canceled her tour due to family obligations, but her record company would not allow her to to that on a tour supporting a new album. The only possible reason would be financial: there are not enough ticket sales. It would not be surprising if they retool the tour for smaller venues in small cities, with a vastly reduced crew, because of the sunk costs in the new album. They're not just going to let her off the hook. Blue Dot Fever is entirely made up nonsense by the media; it isn't a term of art in the recording industry.

[jennifer_bloom]

They are afraid Donald will get ICE to kidnap them and look them in a secret prison in Uganda. Donald Trump wants to be the new American Hitler, except he tortures and rapes humanitarian liberals and 13 year old girls, instead of Jews. The bible says if you vote for murder, you will be tortured for murder when you die and go to hell.

[MrOracle]

There are always MANY different reasons to cancel, postpone, or retool a concert tour.

That said, right now there are a higher than usual number that fall into one of two categories:

• Not enough interest in the performer
• Too expensive.

For example, one of my favorite bands, Rush, lost their drummer to cancer a decade ago, but are going back on tour with a replacement drummer this year. I have seen the band 9 times on most of their biggest tours. Rush sells out everywhere they go, and could probably play two nights at each venue and still sell out. But... the cheapest tickets for this show are $180, and better seats are far more. I'm not paying that much for a concert ticket. I went to 5 shows last year and the most expensive one was $42.


I might have paid $100 per ticket, but not $200. I'm sure they will still sell out, but I'm not doing it.

[molonski2]

It's an enormous commitment to see any performer live and it's a truckload of money ( relatively ) often , super fineline between success and failure , right now people are thinking a lot more about this kind of expenditure..

Having Dolly's photo there is incorrect , she is kicking butt ( different demographic ) ..

[AI Opinion]

“Blue dot fever” comes from Ticketmaster/Seatmap visuals: unsold seats show up as little blue dots. When a map is still very “blue” close to the show date, promoters panic and cancel or “postpone” tours.

It’s happening now because ticket prices are high, fans are more selective post‑pandemic, streaming doesn’t always translate to passionate fandom, and some artists (like Olivia, Sabrina) feel current and “must‑see,” while others don’t have that same urgency anymore. 🎟️💙

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Don’t use Dolly Parton as an example of poor selling. She had a shit load of tickets for her vegas show, but she has genuine health issues regarding an infection from some kidney stones. She literally couldn’t perform under that level of pain, she didn’t cancel it because she didn’t sell enough tickets, it was doctor’s orders.

[Jersey2]

Ticket prices coupled with the hassle of going such as traffic and parking I would image are the major inhibitors. The ones selling out have young fans without mortgages or many responsibilities.

And for the record, I think Olivia Rodrigo is ripping off taylor Swift’s sound.

[Godihateyou]

I went to concerts 3 times a week when tickets were $20. I LOVE concerts but I'm not paying $100 to see Metallica and 99% of musical acts aren't Metallica. Haven't been to a concert in 6 years. Cut out the lights, the dancers, the bullshit. You can put on a show selling tickets for $30 but you won't. That's why nobody wants to go.

[AngryCarl3]

The stars of 15/20 years ago are not the stars of today. Pussycat Dolls dolls split up 16 years ago, why are they surprised that their audience grew up?

[NathanDavis]

are you asking me... or telling me

[smahala1991]

No that's just what the gag algorithm put as the actual question.

[NathanDavis]

so... what's the actual question?

[queenofcardio]

I've noticed that too