Washington - Aug 6, 2010 - The NAB Radio Board met in Washington for an educational update on the status of ongoing discussions between broadcast industry representatives and representatives of Musicfirst.

NAB Vice President Dennis Wharton said, "The NAB Radio Board had a full and productive exchange of ideas today on the status of discussions with Musicfirst representatives. The talks are part of an ongoing dialog with the board and NAB membership on possible alternatives to pending legislation that would be devastating to the future of free and local radio."

Wharton says that no votes were taken at the board meeting. The board reiterated its strong opposition to the pending bill in Congress, while agreeing that it is appropriate for NAB representatives to continue discussions with Musicfirst.

In 2009, Rep. John Conyers (MI) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT) introduced the Performance Rights Act (PRA) in the House and Senate, respectively. The legislation was voted out of the respective Judiciary Committees and has the support of certain members of congressional leadership. Broadcasters created a counter resolution called the Local Radio Freedom Act, which also garnered support and has helped prevent further movement on PRA.

At the direction of House and Senate leaders in late 2009, the NAB met with Musicfirst -- representing artists, labels and unions. To date, discussions have yielded the following potential terms. These terms have not been agreed to, but are under discussion by the industry: