By C.G. Lynch
In a Northeastern apartment, a student clicks the mouse on his Dell desktop, obtaining song no. 2,058 for his digital music collection. When asked if he would be willing to pay $ 1 for each file to ensure its legality, he spins around in his chair and replies, “Absolutely not. I’d have absolutely no reason to.”
Such sentiments comprise the general feelings of Northeastern students as they encounter the revival of Napster, the famed file-sharing software created by former NU student Shawn Fanning and a technological phenomenon that sent the record industry into a wave of legal actions against such programs and their users.
Under the newly legalized Napster — recently purchased by Roxio, a company that sells media software — listeners will no longer experience the free music euphoria they once had. Instead, members will pay approximately $1 per song or have the option of unlimited downloads for $10 a month.
Students’ lack of receptiveness could be attributed to the myriad of other Napster-resembling programs currently available, including KaZaa and Grokster. Until the music industry and courts can crack down on these programs, some students said, Napster’s subscription plan will not be successful.
“Right now I would not subscribe to a downloading service because there are enumerable ones that will do it for free,” said Kyle Greer, a sophomore finance major. “Until it’s absolutely impossible to download music without paying, I don’t think it will catch on at the college scene.”
Because college students are so technologically savvy, some believe that the general public will embrace subscription programs long before the college environment.
“It might take with people who don’t download music normally,” said Brian O’Neill, a sophomore information sciences major. “But definitely not with college kids, with things like Direct Connect and Kazaa.”
Since Napster’s resurgence, legal questions of file sharing have been brought back into the limelight. In major U.S. newspapers the past few weeks, MIT students Keith Winstein and Josh Mandel made headlines with their new program, the Library Access to Music Project, or LAMP, for which they received a $60,000 grant from Microsoft to create.
LAMP, fashioned on a legal loophole, allows users to order files over the Internet and play them through the school’s cable television system in analog format. Since legal restrictions on Internet broadcasting generally apply to digital files, the analog mode averts regulations. To alleviate worries of copyright laws and royalties, Winstein and Mandel purchased the songs from Loudeye Corp., a Seattle-based media company.
First hailed by newspapers and MIT officials as a legal means to enjoy music, it was quickly removed from operation when major record companies announced that Loudeye never had the right to sell LAMP the music.
Eva Lawrence, a music industry professor at NU, said the revitalized Napster and similar programs will trigger an entirely new music market; one riddled with issues of copyrights, licensing and royalty fees. She cited competitors of Napster, including Apple, which currently sell songs for 99 cents a piece.
“Apple may be on the right track,” said Lawrence. “They pounded out a deal with the major record companies. And with the independent labels, they said, ‘this is the deal, take it or leave it.”
As this new market emerges, music industry experts say the record labels must adapt to maintain their company’s viability. Bruce Ronkin, also a music industry professor at NU, said companies like Napster, Apple and Rhapsody set the path.
“Napster sent a message to the record companies that they cannot do business as usual,” said Ronkin. “They need to understand that a CD is not the only way to make money.”
In terms of how the college community will respond, Ronkin said, “It remains to be seen whether or not it will be successful.”
Some universities are helping to make a natural transition. Last Friday, The Washington Post reported that next year Penn State will buy a group subscription to Napster that will give students access to 500,000 songs, 40 radio stations and an online magazine. The subscription will be funded by the students’ technology fee of $160 per year.
As it returns, colleges and students will peruse Napster and its competitors in this new music market. With a head start on the business, Apple and its iTunes may fair well in the coming months.
“I think the Apple model is very interesting,” Lawrence said. “It’s not dealing with licensing anymore. It’s saying, ‘we are a store.'”
Top 10 free music Web sites
1. www.Amazon.com 2. Artist Direct Network 3. BBC Radio 4. iPicksMusicStore 5.KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic 6. Live Radio on the Internet 7. www.mp3.com 8. NPR: All Songs Considered 9. WebClubbing 10. www.iTV.com
Compiled from www.macsupport.about.com/cs/toppicks/tp/musicsites.html NP
