TIL: Blue Dot Fever
If you’ve noticed a lot of tour cancellations recently, you’re not alone. Apparently, the cancellation trend is so widespread there’s a term for it now: blue dot fever.
The “blue dots” refer to all those unsold seat bubbles on Ticketmaster.
Industry experts say the main culprit behind blue dot fever is low demand and extremely overpriced shows.
That said, plenty of artists have no issues selling out. See BTS. See Bruno Mars. Why? Because Bruno hasn’t toured endlessly, summer after summer, for the past decade. BTS is doing their “comeback” run after the entire group completed their mandatory, multi‑year military service in South Korea. There’s pentup demand there and those seats sold out amazingly fast.
The sky‑high price of tickets means folks might pay to see an artist once… but they’ll pass the next time the show comes to town (and the next time… and the next time). That’s where I am these days. I’ll pay to see an artist again—if I haven’t seen them live in over three years and the ticket prices aren’t absolutely absurd.
I’m no fan, but I know Harry Styles didn’t have an iota of trouble selling out his current tour. The Pussycat Dolls, on the other hand… well, they announced a reunion tour and then cancelled it almost as quickly.
Touring is how most artists make money from music. That said, embarking on a ton of shows is not a cheap business endeavor. It costs a lot of money to roll a circus across any country. That doesn’t come without risk. Too many empty seats way before showtime, and it’s probably wise to pull the plug while that’s still an option.
Food inflation is nuts. Gas prices are crazy (drive electric, folks!), and anything and everything is monetized now. It’s no wonder people are choosing to cut back on things like concerts. Or, instead of opting out entirely, choosing to do a festival where you see lots of artists for about the same cash as a big stadium tour for one act.
I noticed the massive number of unsold tickets for M3 Rock Festival last weekend. Sure, the lineup was weak… but how does a festival come back from that? I swear, Merriweather Post Pavilion looked over half empty in the photos I saw. Plus, there was no buzz about M3 at all this year. There are still a lot of “blue” seats in the close sections for Mötley Crüe in Cincinnati at the end of August. I have to believe that the “Return of the Carnival of Sins” isn’t selling well right now either. Later that same week in my neck of the woods, Bret Michaels is bringing his solo show to town. I just pulled the ticket map and there are lots of blue dots near the stage. I clicked on one closest to the stage in the pit—and the price is $749 for “official platinum.” This is not resale. That is straight Ticketmaster pricing - for one ticket. No, Bret won’t succumb to blue dot fever with a cancelled tour—but I wouldn’t be shocked if shows are papered heavily. Folks only have so much cash. The very last row of the amphitheater is $82 a seat, and that’s enough.
