They were not supposed to be commercial. Popularity was a kind of bonus. What Blackwell likes most in the recording business is being in a position to encourage the growth of a career, and the creative process in general, from the very beginning. Before the beginning. Only he can't do that any more.
Success is no longer successful.
It's even a question if selling 'only' a million is worth the trouble. The music was once the reason for it all. Size is not what it used to be. Smart, mid-range record companies got in a crunch in the '80s. Despite adding the successful rappers NWA and the rock band U2 to his roster, Blackwell saw that he was too big to be small and the reverse.