Well, a close friend of mine helms a moderately well-known metal band (albums charted in Germany, high on the UK Rock Charts and on the Billboard Heatseeker charts in the US) and after two successful albums, a few large European tours and a month touring the US (in itself a big feat for a European metal band), they are still 'down' by a figure in the order of tens of thousands of GBP to their record label. It's definitely a tough game.