"Today's hearing on the Performance Rights Act of 2009, H.R. 848, is an important first step in finally addressing an issue that has remained unsolved for a number of years."
"There is no doubt that the Committee must step up to the plate and update the copyright laws to reflect the fact that musical performances are shared today in ways that were never envisioned when the ..."
"But in modernizing the statutes, I'm determined that we do not do so in a way that diminishes the voice of minority broadcasters."
"No bill is a perfect bill and rarely is a bill enacted exactly as it is introduced. But H.R. 848 provides us with a good starting point."
"Let me also say, to Mr. Newberry, I think you have made an excellent case here today, but none of us, I think, believe that performance artists don't deserve to be paid."
"Most of us believe that, when these radio stations play this music, that there are people that still go out and buy records."
"Am I to understand that, say, the big copyright holders who invest and who promote and who charge the artists for every aspect of the promotion and whatever they do, they are not getting a return on i..."
"So they're not deducting this from the artists' earnings at all?"
"Well----"
"I do not want to see small broadcasters, minority broadcasters, out of business."
"Let me thank Mr. Bernanke for being here today."
"Yes, I just want to know, how much do you have authority to deal with? Where does it come from?"