suggestions:
-I seriously hope that the respect/treatment of the members is quickly addressed.. major priority
-Moderate the forum or pull it? Ask for volunteers?
-surely there is a way to accommodate artists outside the US? (taxes,etc). Other sites have achieved this..
-I've tried to look at the pros and cons from different perspectives, there's no way around it, uploads need to be moderated and approved. This addresses the copyright, quality, and cut down on the abusers/spammers. It will help artists know specifically what's appropriate content. It may take a little longer for uploads to be processed. We've had to deal with that before.. Someone mentioned volunteers, I was thinking the same thing, and if they get an additional %, that much better of an offer.
-Base payouts on Downloads, not views. Some of us check back occasionally on our uploads when someone posts a comment. Not all views are downloads.

The tiered idea..

New/newbie upload section with no payouts? Content deleted  x-amounted days after no new downloads

Pro upload section from new upload section 'graduates'.. content upgraded to Pro when content provider has x-amount of downloads, then payout?
..that gets a little tricky, factoring in what's a good 'graduate' number.  Average the high and lows of each section and decide what is ideal for Pro section amount of downloads.. ??

I like the Two Tiered idea. I insist on the moderation idea or the site will die. I think there are plenty of folks here who would volunteer to help if they got a little increased percentage in their share of revenue. That should be easy enough for a programmer to code.

I also agree there should be a bot prevention method on downloads that requires input from a live person that a script couldn't do very easily. I think it would help cut down on the script kiddies increasing their views artificially. I don't think timers on downloads are a good idea. They don't stop bots and only annoy the people coming in to the site who help generate the revenue. That would be bad.

As a newbie, myself, I really like the idea of having a newbie section and a pro section. Maybe, after finally working out all the bugs in my craft, I can finally "graduate" to pro and get a little pocket money for my work. But if a newbie isn't getting any revenue in the first place, and storage space isn't an issue, why bother deleting content after an x amount of days?

I'm an amateur, a hobbyist (though maybe, with practice, that might actually change), and there will be days, even weeks where I may not be able to make any new content to upload. In fact, I'm in one of those periods, right now. If I'm afraid of having my current content deleted if I don't upload new things every so often, wouldn't that just encourage me to post "crap" uploads just to keep my real content safe? And they will be crap because I'm too busy to be able to tend to the kind of quality work I'd prefer to at least attempt to achieve (I can't say if I'm successful, only that I tried my best).

I like the two tiered system as well. I do have a couple of suggestions for it though.

First, is that what tier you're on is invisible to anyone but admins. I suggest this for a couple of reasons. First is that it attempts to prevent an elitist attitude from being created. The second and IMO more important reason is that if the tiers are visible, it could seriously harm the downloads of those in the new/unpaid tier, because given a choice, automatically people will choose "pro" work over percieved lower quality. Which if number of downloads is going to be the requirement for graduating to pro status, then it really wouldn't be fair to make things harder in this way.

My second suggestion is that the graduating from unpaid to paid should be voluntary after the specified number of downloads is reached, not automatic. This way those who prefer not to be paid, can do so no matter what their downloads are.

I also definately agree on moderating being needed. 

WalkerofShadows: ... given a choice, automatically people will choose "pro" work over percieved lower quality...

That's very true, and something I was wondering about, myself. Having one's status as newbie or pro hidden to the public is a good idea. This way, not only do content providers get a fair chance of obtaining downloads for their posts, but downloaders won't miss out on really great downloads simply because someone is in the newbie section. Simply because someone is new to the craft doesn't necessarily mean that they lack talent in it, and they can have some really great downloads to share!

Also, if, perhaps, hiding such status is more work than is desired, and/or if admin would rather not insult those sensitive to certain labels, how about using the terms: non-profit and profit? This is a more true and accurate label, as I'm sure there are those who are professionals who simply choose not to profit off of content they provide for free. With this labelling system, even if one's tier isn't  hidden from the public, downloaders shouldn't be too heavily influenced as to which downloads to choose from. For example, I wouldn't care if someone was receiving a share of profits or not if I have a use for the freebie. But if the freebie is by someone who is labelled a "newbie," I may think the work is of a lower quality than the description or promotional picture would lead me to believe, and decide against downloading.

wooooo I like the profit/non-profit label.....definitely better than pro or newbie.....just cause you're not a newbie doesn't mean your pro......

Frankly I see no need to recategorise downloads based on the Uploader's credentials. If it's for Poser, put it in the Poser Category. Nobody needs a judgement of quality on the download to see if they want it. The thumbnail images should show whether or not the item is suitable.

If you're talking Pro content versus Amatuer, you're talking Store Front VS Freebie. This doesn't mean there can't be a two tiered payout system. I just don't think it needs to be categorised and separated.  If you want Pro status, go sell items via a storefront or talk Jake and David into adding a storefront here for professional items. Please don't muddy up the categories now that they've just gotten sorted out recently.

Me, I don't make a habit of going through the download areas here searching for stuff. I only download Items I've seen announced on sites like Renderosity or DAZ if the item suits my needs and then I usually just download directly from those sites via the links given.