On August 4, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled "The Performance Rights Act and Parity among Music Delivery Platforms." NAB Joint Board Chair Steve Newberry testified at the hearing and described the potential impact a performance tax will have on local radio stations.

Jim Winston with the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, the artist Sheila E., Bob Kimball with Real Networks, Marian Leighton-Levy with Rounder Records and Professor Ralph Oman with the George Washington University Law School also testified.

The hearing, chaired by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA) and attended by Chairman Pat Leahy (VT) and Sens. John Cornyn (TX), Arlen Specter (PA), Richard Durbin (IL), Amy Klobuchar (MN) and Al Franken (MN), focused on the performance tax as well as the concept of parity among different music platforms.

This was the final performance tax hearing prior to the August congressional recess. The House of Representatives recessed with 246 bipartisan cosponsors on the pro-broadcaster resolution, H. Con. Res. 49, the Local Radio Freedom Act, and the Senate will recess this week with 23 bipartisan cosponsors of S. Con. Res. 14.