Emily Shackelton Testifies On Behalf Of NSAI

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Emily Shackelton. Photo: Courtesy of NSAI

Nashville songwriter Emily Shackelton, whose credits include “What He Didn’t Do” and “Every Little Thing,” spoke on behalf of Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) today (June 21) in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.

Shackelton is also a member of NSAI’s Board of Directors. At the hearing, she addressed Chairman Darrell Edward Issa and Henry C. “Hank” Johnson. Read her full statement below.

Thank you, Chairman Issa and ranking member Johnson.

My name is Emily Shackelton, and I am proud to sit on the Board of Directors of the Nashville Songwriters Assn. International, or NSAI, along with 26 more world-class songwriters who guide the organization.

With 100 global chapters, NSAI was founded in 1967. Our first advocacy effort was to get songwriters’ names on records. In recent years we’ve adopted the Songwriters Capital Gains Tax Equity Act, were instrumental in the creation and adoption of the Music Modernization Act and the Mechanical Licensing Collective, and were participants in several Copyright Royalty Board proceedings — including Phonorecord III and IV — which will produce billions in new mechanical royalties over the next five years. We also own and operate Nashville’s iconic music venue, The Bluebird Cafe.

As a professional songwriter hailing from the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota, my income depends on getting an artist to not only record my song, but also make it a hit radio single. I do not share in their ticket, merchandise or brand revenues. Most of the writers who came before me made much of their income on album cuts, a source of royalty revenue that’s almost meaningless in a world of streaming. I worry about the generation of writers who follow me. So, I am glad the IP Subcommittee is paying attention to the music industry and to American songwriters.

On my way to DC, a soldier asked about my guitar. I explained what I do, and admitted it felt pretty insignificant compared to her sacrifice. She smiled and told me country music is what got her through both her tours of duty overseas away from her babies. I am so grateful I get to write songs that have the power to resonate with people no matter what they’re going through. And I’m grateful for your partnership. Please remember NSAI’s motto as you navigate the evolving music landscape: “It All Begins With A Song.”

Thank you.

LB Cantrell
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