What percentage of feature films never sign with a sales agent?

Despite the massive changes in production, exhibition, and home entertainment over the past twenty years, it’s always surprising to me how similar the sales side of the film business has remained.The standard route to market has barely changed. A film's producer signs with a single sales agent, who gains the exclusive right to represent the film at film markets (such as Cannes, Berlin or AFM). They sell the exploitation rights to distributors, aiming to secure a distributor in every territory and format (from cinema screens through to long-term TV deals).While it’s true that perhaps 20 years ago there were fewer films and more pre-sales (i.e. deals done before the film has been shot), the core mechanics are the same. A single sales agent, a physical attendance at one of a handful of film markets, in return for a slice off the top of all earned revenue. Signing with a sales agent has historically been seen as a vital step for any professional independent production, in part because…