Due to the current economic conditions that have hit both musicians and broadcasters particularly hard, he and his colleagues changed the bill so stations that gross more than $5 million per year will be on the hook for payment one year after enactment. For stations that gross less than $5 million per year, no royalties will be due for three years. "I know times are tough, and it is not the intention or goal of this legislation to drive broadcasters into bankruptcy or to bring about a widespread consolidation of the industry. That is why I have been, and remain, committed to finding a middle ground on this issue," Conyers said.

To further sweeten the pot, Conyers, Judiciary ranking member Lamar Smith and others requested that the Government Accountability Office conduct a study on the impact of the legislation on diversity in media, including minority and minority-owned, female and female-owned, and religious broadcasters and artists. The bill would direct the Copyright Royalty Board to factor in the study's results when determining the rate, so that the impact on minority, female, and religious broadcasters and artists will be taken into account. The compromises earned Conyers the support of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the NAACP and a number of unions.