History Majorian-Like Sales Numbers

I'm old and senile, and I have absolutely no idea what Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sound like. But the record label douchebag trapped deep inside me is impressed by this: that band put out a

self-released album that moved over 45,000 copies in six months, all distributed out of Sargent’s Park Slope apartment.

I never see music sales figures (and I wouldn't even know where to find indie sales numbers), but I remember reading in a Pitchfork interview with Aesop Rock that his last two records had sold 80,000. Which amazed me. But Ace is the biggest thing in underground hip-hop, and he's on the genre's biggest label, and he's still selling roughly what one indie rock band was able to sell out of their house.

My only point, and a near meaningless one at that, is that indie rock has grown an incredible amount over the last several years. It's decidedly mainstream now.

And the big question here---was 45,000 self-record sales enough to pay rent in Park Slope?