I think the real kicker is that you don't - and can't - know up front what you have to do in any given year to keep your royalty rate for the next year.

Seems like the new model all but guarantees burnout. And unlike the old model, you can't really take a sabbatical or healthy inspiration-break and continue to reap top benefits from all the hard work you did (consistently or not) in years past. That's just bananas. Don't the kids at the top know/understand that quality creative work isn't really an on-demand, high volume, 24/7 kind of skill/talent? I would hazard that such a skill/talent is rare, indeed. And that when you push artists too far they break/down and/or their work suffers. Which isn't good for either the artists or the business of selling their work.

My sales seem normal. Though I'm not sure what that really means anymore. Downloads continue to dwindle. So if that's normal, then yes. My sales are normal.