Post by captaggie on Oct 16, 2004 8:52:14 GMT -5
www.newsandrecord.com/news/local/music_101604.htm
Free, legal: A&T tests providers of music downloads
10-16-04
By Elyse Ashburn Staff Writer
News & Record
Erika Groover, like many students at N.C. A&T, turns to file-sharing service iMesh for the latest tunes.
But she might soon be able to get her music fix from her university -- legally and, for now, free of charge.
A&T and three other UNC system schools are piloting programs that allow students to download music, movies and academic material without trampling copyright laws.
Four different providers -- iTunes, Ruckus, Cdigix and Rhapsody -- are participating in the test runs.
The initiative is spearheaded by UNC system administrators who for years have been searching for a solution to on-campus illegal file-sharing.
File sharing itself is legal, but it is commonly used to swap music and movie files that are protected by copyright laws.
Universities are responsible for monitoring any computers hooked into their networks and are expected to remove any copyrighted files that are shared illegally.
Several UNC system schools -- including UNC-Chapel Hill -- have been involved in legal battles regarding students' use of campus networks to illegally download files.
Dozens of universities have launched legal file-sharing programs in response to the music industry's push to bring illegal swappers to task. But officials said UNC is the first university system to do so.
"We lead a lot," said Tom Warner, director of coordinated technology for the UNC system. "That's one of the joys of being one of the largest university systems in the country."
The pilot schools -- A&T, UNC-Wilmington, Western Carolina University and the N.C. School of the Arts -- were chosen based on interest and technological capabilities, Warner said. The state's largest schools -- UNC-CH and N.C. State -- are slated to join in the spring.
If the pilot program proves successful, the entire UNC system would eventually be brought online. Campuses would be able to select among the providers based on student feedback.
Students likely will have to pay a fee for the program once the testing phase ends. Similar services nationwide charge students who opt in about $2 to $5 a month, officials said, but local prices would depend on a host of negotiations.
The cost of the test run will be covered by a major music label -- which Warner said was impressed with UNC's ingenuity and agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the project.
Warner declined to release the label's name or the exact cost of the pilot program.
The initiative was officially announced Thursday, but A&T has been testing the Ruckus service for about three weeks.
Ruckus offers about 500,000 songs from various labels, including Universal Music Group, Warner Music and Sony.
Three other U.S. universities use the service, company officials said.
About 40 people -- at least half of whom are students -- already have access to Ruckus at A&T, said Sam Harrison, associate vice chancellor for information technology and telecommunications.
Students will be brought on in increasing numbers, and the entire campus could have access as early as this spring.
"We're just starting to get to the point where the rubber meets the road," Harrison said. "We'll start to ratchet it up, but we need to see how it goes."
Free, legal: A&T tests providers of music downloads
10-16-04
By Elyse Ashburn Staff Writer
News & Record
Erika Groover, like many students at N.C. A&T, turns to file-sharing service iMesh for the latest tunes.
But she might soon be able to get her music fix from her university -- legally and, for now, free of charge.
A&T and three other UNC system schools are piloting programs that allow students to download music, movies and academic material without trampling copyright laws.
Four different providers -- iTunes, Ruckus, Cdigix and Rhapsody -- are participating in the test runs.
The initiative is spearheaded by UNC system administrators who for years have been searching for a solution to on-campus illegal file-sharing.
File sharing itself is legal, but it is commonly used to swap music and movie files that are protected by copyright laws.
Universities are responsible for monitoring any computers hooked into their networks and are expected to remove any copyrighted files that are shared illegally.
Several UNC system schools -- including UNC-Chapel Hill -- have been involved in legal battles regarding students' use of campus networks to illegally download files.
Dozens of universities have launched legal file-sharing programs in response to the music industry's push to bring illegal swappers to task. But officials said UNC is the first university system to do so.
"We lead a lot," said Tom Warner, director of coordinated technology for the UNC system. "That's one of the joys of being one of the largest university systems in the country."
The pilot schools -- A&T, UNC-Wilmington, Western Carolina University and the N.C. School of the Arts -- were chosen based on interest and technological capabilities, Warner said. The state's largest schools -- UNC-CH and N.C. State -- are slated to join in the spring.
If the pilot program proves successful, the entire UNC system would eventually be brought online. Campuses would be able to select among the providers based on student feedback.
Students likely will have to pay a fee for the program once the testing phase ends. Similar services nationwide charge students who opt in about $2 to $5 a month, officials said, but local prices would depend on a host of negotiations.
The cost of the test run will be covered by a major music label -- which Warner said was impressed with UNC's ingenuity and agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the project.
Warner declined to release the label's name or the exact cost of the pilot program.
The initiative was officially announced Thursday, but A&T has been testing the Ruckus service for about three weeks.
Ruckus offers about 500,000 songs from various labels, including Universal Music Group, Warner Music and Sony.
Three other U.S. universities use the service, company officials said.
About 40 people -- at least half of whom are students -- already have access to Ruckus at A&T, said Sam Harrison, associate vice chancellor for information technology and telecommunications.
Students will be brought on in increasing numbers, and the entire campus could have access as early as this spring.
"We're just starting to get to the point where the rubber meets the road," Harrison said. "We'll start to ratchet it up, but we need to see how it goes."
