Ellen Shipley, singer songwriter

If you’re interested in this piece of the rotting music business pie, let me know.

Story from The Lefsetz Letter

After all the caterwauling about poor Rob Oakie and his Music PEI peers, what did I get in my email than a real insider’s look at the corruption that is the music biz. You won’t find Ellen Shipley’s letter on line: you have to subscribe to get his reader’s feedback and what readers he has – a who’s who list of industry players. The more you read, the more you realize the whole Music PEI Board don’t know dip shit about the real music business – other than how to fill their bank accounts. Shipley is a real industry veteran with the scars to prove it. She’s written hits, recorded her own CD’s and had an Grammy on her mantle.

Dear Bob

Ellen Shipley here.

Recording Artist in the late 1970’s-1984; hit songwriter (“Heaven is Is A Place on Earth”…….) Survivor of the monstrous music business for 30 years. One of Dave Marsh’s best
friends. Mother of two kids, three dogs.

Married to veteran keyboard player (as they like to describe him) Ralph Schuckett.

It’s all there—google away!

I thought I was through. Sold part of my catalogue in 2007 to feel clean. Not getting paid again.

I like your style. This is what I have to say….If you’re interested in this piece of the rotting music business pie, let me know.

It’s time to tell the story of the Music Publishers who have ripped off the songwriters for years and the songwriters who have buried their collective heads in a PC bubble in order to keep getting covers…

The audits, the sell-outs, the fear….. All the dirty little secrets..song writers feeling forced to give their publishing away to Recording Artists (who think its a privilege for you to have a song on their record –so bow down, eat dirt and give them part of your royalties or you won’t get your song recorded); to managers who think you”re lucky to have them and they should be rewarded beyond the percentage they already take; to heads of publishing companies who want to make as much money as they can whether they actually work for you getting covers on records or they sit round taking the credit anyway even if they did nothing.

The Big Time lawyers who play golf or footsie or whatever with the Big Time Publishers that you need to hire so you can get your own money from the company that somehow doesn’t want to give it to you.

Although the money is yours and they have no right to keep it. Oh–they always have kids at the same private school—cute.

The endless games you learn to play; the lack of fighting spirit on the part of the song writers; the lack of a song writing community; the lack of any “power” on the part of the song writers as they are taught to believe they are totally dispensable, replaceable, (“if you don’t behave we’ll use someone else’s song on the record”) —low man on the proverbial music totem pole. Wow!

Really??? Go write your own shit which some artists inevitably do although they can’t write. Which reminds me—do you know the one about the song writer who has to sit with the recording artist who can’t write at all but hold his/her hand and then give them credit as a writer of the song even though THEY CAN’T WRITE???

Swallow that. Quietly.

Yeah. I know. I’m venting.

I was angry 30 years ago when a DJ at a radio station told me to blow him or he wouldn’t play my song on his station; when my Record Company A&R guy wouldn’t stop eating his Chinese food and talk to me about my record even though I flew 3,000 miles for the appointment; when, when when……..

I’m going to stop now. I’m not having a pity party. I’m having a “someone tell the fucking truth, already” celebration because it’s time…

Let me know if you are interested in this chapter.

I am going to meditate now that someone at one of those BIG PUBLISHING COMPANIES will send me a check.

Thanks—-

Ellen Shipley