Self-styled scourge of celebrities and will.i.am punching bag Perez Hilton has learned the hard way that tour promoting is no easy gig. The Perez Hilton Presents US tour this month – featuring a line-up of hyped indie acts like Seattle electro punks Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, Modular golden girl Ladyhawke and Little Boots – proved a bona-fide fizzler.

Low ticket sales, quarter-full venues and artist cancellations have put Hilton’s venture in the red. As reported by Reuters, Norwegian songstress Ida Maria pulled out of the tour after playing to 250 people in a 2,400-capacity venue, citing “total exhaustion”. Tickets to some all-ages dates had to be given away and other prices reduced.

Critics of the celebrity blogger have put the tour’s failure down to Hilton’s mistaken assumption that his inflated gossip-queen profile would fill venues. However, the man himself claims it was all about the music. “If you love Ladyhawke, you shouldn’t let your dislike for me get in the way from coming to the show,” he told Seattle Weekly during the tour. “Just get over it. It’s not about me.” If only it were that easy.