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Artists cancel concerts over low ticket sales

May 6, 2026, 6:41am EDT
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Post Malone.
Post Malone. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images via Reuters

The music industry is being shaken by a wave of canceled gigs. Meghan Trainor, Zayn Malik, Post Malone, the Pussycat Dolls, and others have all dropped or delayed major tours in recent days.

Their stated reasons varied, but Page Six News quotes a music insider saying Malone had been hit by “blue dot fever,” referring to blue unsold seats on Ticketmaster seating charts. Other artists also acknowledged poor sales.

Musicians increasingly make their money from live performances, but “not every artist can price tickets like Taylor Swift” and still fill stadiums, Ticket News argued, and fans — squeezed by rising costs elsewhere — “are noticing. More importantly, they are not buying.”

A chart showing the increase in ticket prices.
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