I chuckled the first time I read one of Norrthwestern’s “be aware you’re uploading” e-mails. It was full of acronyms, bullet points and stern warnings, and the subject line began with “PLEASE READ” in capital letters. Its serious tone seemed more appropriate for a CIA memo than a warning against file-sharing.
What was really funny was how much the e-mail’s attitude toward file-sharing clashed with that of people our age. We’ve been pirating music for so long we’ve come to think of it as a recreational activity, not a criminal one. Whenever the government and the RIAA conspire to shut down the latest file-sharing program, we switch to another as cheerfully as a kid hopping from one playground structure to the next.
Whether or not our attitude is justified, NU must take it into account. Students just aren’t willing to drive to Best Buy and spend 15 bucks every time they want new music. Until the recording industry changes its business model to make music much more affordable, students will continue to use illegal networks to satisfy their hunger for new tunes. Sending us scolding e-mails will do nothing but give a case of music envy to the few students timid enough to heed the warnings.
Instead, universities like Northwestern should prevent piracy by working with the music industry to create a program that gives students access to affordable music.
Such a program once existed. It was called Ruckus, and it was free, supporting itself with advertisements. Unfortunately, it failed after a few years due to lack of support. In 2008, the company announced that it needed an additional 1 million users to become sustainable, but the users failed to materialize. Today its Web site features only a simple graphic and the words “the Ruckus service will no longer be provided.”
Ruckus wasn’t without its flaws. The service didn’t allow users to copy the songs they downloaded, burn them onto CDs or transfer them onto iPods. Its music library was a quarter the size of Itunes’, which has a few vacant shelves itself.
But at least it was successful in allowing college students to access affordable music. The massive facebook groups that formed to fight its downfall show that it had a satisfied customer base. Maybe Ruckus’ creators and clients could have worked with music industry representatives to find a way to eliminate its faults.
As well as preventing piracy, a program like Ruckus would contribute to NU’s intellectual culture. Listening to music is a fun way to explore different cultures and ways of thinking. How much more do you know about Sri Lanka now that you’re an M.I.A. fan? Providing students with free, unlimited access to music would contribute to their education by making them more knowledgeable and open-minded.
It’s unfortunate that NU has chosen to fight student piracy in such an ineffectual way. With actual effort, universities could create a sustainable program to serve their students’ music needs. If the schools that partnered with Ruckus had made more of an effort by subsidizing it, or by encouraging their students to use it, maybe its Web site wouldn’t have such a minimalist design today.
Weinberg senior Richard Webner can be reached at [email protected].
