I like Struggle4Buck's work ethic and overall attitude - work harder, work smarter, but never ever stop working - because it is my own.
But also we must remember we're comparing apples and oranges here.
Niche sites (kink, BDSM, etc) have a very differant audience than "mainstream" porn does. Max Hardcore has a name (brand) and following so Paully's numbers look about right. Beaner just started his own merch account setup so initial results are fantastic but time, chargebacks, fickle banks and other issues may (and I hope not) cause him trouble in the future. Mr. Deitz sees Programs from ALL niches and has a wider perspective. I run my own highly unique paysite network, not really comparable to other people's businesses.....
So what does all that mean? It means "sales are up" for one person/business does NOT mean "sales are up" for someone else who's promoting something completely differant.
Conclusion: threads like this are, ultimately, useless.
Carry on. :D