Western joins Rhapsody music pilot program
Downloading copyrighted music has become a problem at many universities. Not only is it illegal, punishable by a $250,000 fine, and considered a felony, but it also causes problems with network speeds and users' computers. Many times when students are having problems with their computer the root cause is the services they are using to download music.
The music industry has traditionally focused on punishment instead of exploring ways to provide music in ways that students will embrace. This may be about to change, however. Western has recently been chosen as one of 4 universities in the UNC system to participate in the music pilot program thanks to a grant from a major music label. Western is working with Rhapsody (Real Networks) to provide residence hall students access to a music library of over 800,000 songs to listen to free of charge. If a student would like to burn the song to CD, they can pay $0.79 per song.
Through the project, Western students have been challenged to help determine a new business model for digital music distribution. The Student Government Association and the Residential Student Association are working with representatives of Student Affairs, Residential Life, and Information Technology to assess the value of the pilot to Western's on-campus students.
This pilot provides students with an excellent alternative to activity that is not only illegal, but also against Western's computer policy. Students that are found to be downloading or sharing copyrighted material are subject to temporary but immediate loss of Internet connectivity, a fee, and an educational assignment. An offending student will be placed on disciplinary probation for the first offense, and loss of Internet connection for the entire semester for the second offense.
If you have questions about Rhapsody, or would like to comment on this pilot project please email us at musicpilot@email.wcu.edu. Your input can help make this project a success.
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