Blue Dot Fever has hit the music industry’s bloodstream.

After Page Six Hollywood’s report on Blue Dot Fever went viral — coining a widespread new term about a chronic condition causing artists to cancel arena tours due to poor ticket sales — Live Nation’s CEO went on the offensive tweeting about the issue, and also sold millions in stock last week. 

Amid the flood of BDF reports, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino started tweeting about the phenomenon, which has been the subject of stories on NBC News, CBS News, USA Today, the LA Times, Forbes, the Times of London and many more. 

Industry rag Hits Daily Double named Blue Dot Fever No. 10 on its weekly “Hits List” last week — behind subjects like Michael Jackson, Drake, Katy Perry and Harry Styles.

On May 7, Rapino replied to an account called Ticketshelp1 with 9.2K followers that was critical of then company’s earnings call, slamming the touring giant over ticket affordability. “The focus is also geared towards more fans who are willing to spend more money on premium stuff instead of focusing on cheaper prices,” this account said.

Rapino fired back: “Not our focus? We just sold millions of amp tickets at $30 – making a summer concert very affordable.” That prompted responses from fans, like, “Yeah $30 for all the tours where you couldn’t sell tickets in the first place.”

(An industry veteran wondered to P6H of Rapino, “Why is he tweeting at these people?”)

Rapino also said on that earnings call that, when it comes to cancelations, “We’re tracking slightly below the industry, so we see no challenges at all. We have about 15,000 shows on sale; 100 will be canceled. That would be typical.”

But the next day Rapino reposted a LinkedIn story with the caption, “Blue Dot Fever is a scalper narrative.” (Responses from fans included, “If it’s a ‘scalper narrative’ why are tours canceling?”) On the same day Rapino reposted a piece by music writer Dave Brooks called, “Shut up about Blue Dot Fever already,” after Brooks had already appeared on NBC News to discuss the phenomenon.) 

Joe Berchtold, Live Nation‘s president and CFO, repeated the argument that scalpers are behind “blue dot fever” at an investor conference, according to Music Business Worldwide. “I think [‘blue dot fever’ coverage on social media] is heavily driven by scalpers who are frustrated by the fact that artists are much more effectively pricing tours. They want to try to scare them that if they continue to price their tours efficiently, ‘Oh, you’re not going to sell tickets, it’s going to be embarrassing,'” he said. 

A source said of Live Nation execs blaming the scalpers, “This is all very, ‘These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.’ They’ve marched out their execs and their surrogates.”

Last week, a top Live Nation lawyer, Dan Wall, even got into it on X with ticket Twitter, prompting a social media user called “Tommy D” with only 448 followers to post, “I’m flattered that a $2,000 an hour head lawyer of Live Nation has taken the time to throw shades at little old me. I must be doing something right.” To which Wall replied, “Tommy, there isn’t a less credible voice on these issues than you. But I’m glad I got in your head.”

Days after downplaying the Blue Dot Fever pieces online, on May 13, Rapino sold nearly $2.95M ($2,941,985.44) in Live Nation stock. Also selling shares that same day were Berchtold, who unloaded $1.96 million ($1,961,379.78), and Michael Rowles, Live Nation’s executive VP, general counsel and secretary of Live Nation, who sold almost $200K (196,244.25) the same day, according to SEC filings seen by P6H.

There’s nothing at all to link the stock sales to Blue Dot Fever — and maybe Rapino just needed to pay his tax bill, or a contractor for a new pool house or something. The amount he sold off is a pittance compared to his total earnings and holdings. (In 2022 Rapino reportedly signed a five-year contract with a $30M annual salary if he hit certain targets, and a cash bonus of $17 million per year. He also became eligible for an annual grant of restricted shares valued at no less than $10M, Variety reported at the time.) He’s been CEO since 2005.

A rep for Live Nation did not comment. But an insider told us that the stock sales were part of the “ordinary course of business,” adding that such sales are for tax purposes stemming from vested stock, and that Rapino and Berchtold are still substantial long-term shareholders.

Back to BDF, another music vet told us: “When artists get an offer to play an arena, it used to be because they have played every appropriate room in the market that got larger and larger until they had enough demand to be in the arena. Now artists go from a club to the arena, miss all the steps in between, and it flops… It is essentially another version of the 10,000-hours rule. And when there is so much money in ticketing fees in between, even if the tour does 50% to 60% capacity, they are still making money.”

Another insider added: “This is not the death of the live music business, it’s an indication of a symptom, of a problem of where the music business is now. This can be fixed. It used to be an artists’ business, not a Live Nation business where artists just exist in it.” 

After our report, acts are coming clean about why they’re canceling. The Pussycat Dolls said that they were pulling the plug on their tour, “after taking an honest look at the North American run.”

Movie star slash musician Keifer Sutherland last week said he was axing his Live Nation “Love Will Bring You Home” tour because of poor sales. “I am going to have to cancel the US leg of my tour due to very low ticket sales,” a social media post read. “I don’t think it’s fair to the people who have bought tickets, or the venues, to play to half empty houses. I look forward to touring the United States again at a more suitable time. I hope you understand.”

Following our initial report on Blue Dot Fever, Live Nation commented: “Of all the shows Live Nation has on the books this year, less than 1% have been cancelled. That’s not ‘Blue Dot Fever’ — it’s a normal touring year; in fact, 2026 is shaping up to be a record with concert ticket sales up 11% for the year.”