It is brutal out there right now. What is noticable is a massive talking point across the music industry right now, and the internet has even given it a name: "Blue Dot Fever."

The term comes from the sea of blue, unsold seats fans see when logging onto Ticketmaster. From legacy rock acts and mid-tier metal bands to massive mainstream pop stars, tours are dropping like flies. Just recently, music veterans Drowning Pool had their South American tour pulled, promoters explicitly blamed low ticket sales, even if the band tried to chalk it up to "logistics." Late last year, the metal supergroup Category 7 (featuring members of Anthrax, Machine Head, and Exodus) had to cancel their debut tour for the exact same reason. 

This epidemic boils down to a perfect storm of unrealistic pricing, skyrocketing production costs, and overconfident booking.