OK, that isn’t the full story, but it is a funny enough image!
There is clear irony here in saying “People say the music business is suffering, but it’s NOT.”, but what is the main point? Is it that despite being wildly successful across more than four decades, he is now getting royalty checks for as low as $0.03? Is it that while he has made $0.13 the record company has pocketed the vast majority of the money for his work? Either way, it is pretty funny to think about such small checks for such a major star.
As some have mentioned, these are likely not the checks related to sales of his music or even radio/online play royalties, but instead related to something related to songwriting royalties gained when someone covers your music.
Regardless, getting a check that is worth less money than the amount of time, energy, and raw materials is pretty silly – but getting THREE such checks is just hilarious!
My wife and I got a check for $0.01 once based on overpaying a bill. What was the silliest check you ever got – or had to write?
Source: The Martin Mirror via Hypebot