See Steve Martin’s Royalty Checks: Total $.13
Comedian Steve Martin also has a successful career as a bluegrass musician. After releasing several albums, he's finally started to get royalty checks. @Lefsetz points us to Martin's web site where he's posted actual copies of three checks totalling 13 cents under the headline: "People say the music business is suffering, but it's NOT."
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I had a copy of “Wild & Crazy guy” and “Comedy: It’s Not Pretty” classic Steve Martin, I hope they start playing the crap out of his banjo songs. go Steve!
you do realize that this royalty is for the mechanical licenses songwriters (and publishers) get when someone covers a commercially available song using the compulsory license available under the US Copyright Act, don’t you? It’s not a performance royalty which would cover the royalty for the performance of Steve Martin’s songs on the radio, television and online. Those royalties would be processed through either BMI, ASCAP or SESAC. I suspect that check is substantially higher but maybe not a ton of money since its bluegrass and not top 40 pop.
haha way to try to show off your 5 minutes of under-researched wikipedia knowledge, sound like an jerk, and oversimplify one of the most complicated parts of the music industry based on nothing. not to mention “commercially available” doesn’t make any sense here.
they were just trying to post about something funny….
Regardless of how the money came about, it’s still depressing.
Steve should make a funny movie about the current situation in the music business. You know, something along the lines of Bowfinger.
Yes, I believe the person that said these are the mechanical royalty payments is correct. I’m not sure if Martin is with BMI or ASCAP, but I’ve heard that BMI tends to be a little more generous, at least when it comes to music that’s not quite so “Mainstream”. Still, 13 cents. I mean, it would make you feel insulted for them even attempting to pay you! It cost them more than that just to send the check.
I agree with what Yannick, the GeneralEclectic said.
“…make a funny movie about the current situation in the music business. You know, something along the lines of Bowfinger.”