$1-$2 is absolutely correct. statistically, it's said that most artists signed to bigger labels make an average of $1 per cd - lame, but that's how it works. they probably make a very high percentage of the merch sales (possibly even 100%) and ticket sales. this is why i thought it was really funny that fox news and cnn and all these other media powerhouses were dogging britney spears for her sales plummit one month after her latest release: she has so many residuals in merchandise (barbie dolls, t-shirts, lunch boxes, toys, etc. etc. etc.) that the latest cd losing sales means absolutely nothing. as long as she's on tour and selling merch she's still a multi-millionaire.