This week's episode of The Music Biz Weekly Podcast is a discussion spurned from the chart, pictured to the right, which was featured today on numerous websites including Mashable, Hypebot, and The Hollywood Reporter.

Listen to the podcast below and feel free to download a copy of the mp3 for your iPhone/iPod (by clicking on the little down arrow):
Episode 4: The Music Biz Weekly Podcast - Music Industry Still Blaming Napster With False Numbers by Thorny Bleeder

Below is the original article, appearing as it was published on Mashable:

According to the labels, record sales would have burgeoned if not for the existence of file-sharing site Napster. The labels’ optimistic forecast comes in the form of a chart included in a trial brief for their case against LimeWire.

The above chart was born out of a case brought by major labels like Sony Corp.’s Arista Records and Warner Music Group Corp.’s Atlantic Records against LimeWire. The trial is scheduled to begin May 2.

In the brief, the labels say:

“The evidence will demonstrate that there has been a $55 billion decline in record industry revenue over the last decade. Plaintiffs and Defendants disagree as to whether mass filesharing through peer-to-peer services has been the primary cause of this decline (Plaintiffs’ position), or just one of several causes (Defendants’ position). But even if LimeWire caused only a fraction of this decline, Plaintiffs’ damages would still be in the billions of dollars. Plaintiffs will offer evidence at trial demonstrating that far greater than a fraction of this harm was caused by LimeWire.”

What do you think of the labels’ position? Are Napster, LimeWire and Co. to blame for the declining music industry? Should the labels have embraced file-sharing earlier and adapted it to their own purposes? Let us know in the comments.

[via Mashable, via The Hollywood Reporter]
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, shulz

Tags: Brian Thompson | Michael Brandvold | The Music Biz Weekly | Podcast | Major Labels | Napster | File Sharing