# Songs written by Elvis

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-written-by-elvis/249660>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 10, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-written-by-elvis/249660 "2004-06-10T16:49:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-written-by-elvis/249660/21 "2004-06-11T05:26:28Z")

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> [@Evil Death](#):
>
> Excuse me? Parker is notorious as one of the most wretched, deceitful, money-grabbing incompetents in the history of music management. \<snip\> And all for a percentage two and a half times greater than what any reputable manager would have asked.

Slight nitpick: Col. Tom’s cut was 50%. _Fifty percent_. The universally accepted standard for managers’ contracts is ten percent (or that’s what I hear).

This is said to have been the most lucrative manager’s contract in history. Since Elvis made $4.2 billion in his lifetime, I find that easy to believe.

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**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-written-by-elvis/249660/22 "2004-06-11T09:57:31Z")

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> [@jackelope](#):
>
> Slight nitpick: Col. Tom’s cut was 50%.

Nitpick all you like, but you’re not right to do so. Parker’s cut _was_ 50%, and he further manipulated his way into cuts on merchandising, royalties etc. that upped his take on Elvis’s earnings to around _EIGHTY_ percent - no, you are _not_ hallucinating that number - but your nitpick is built on the false premise that a professional manager would take 10%. The actual figure is 20%.

> [@](#):
>
> This is said to have been the most lucrative manager’s contract in history. Since Elvis made $4.2 billion in his lifetime, I find that easy to believe.

I think you mean “Since Elvis made $4.2bn in his lifetime, but his estate in 1993 was valued at only $200m, I find that easy to believe”.

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