New service for downloading on the horizon

Students at Penn may soon have a new, legal way for downloading music.

A subscription music service, which would enable users to download songs from an extensive music library, could be available to students as early as Jan. 9.

The Undergraduate Assembly passed a proposal in favor of the service last fall after a survey of more than 1,100 students found overwhelming support for the idea.

UA members have been working with administrators to put the plan into action with the hope that the service will curb illegal downloading.

Numerous students from Penn have been sued by the RIAA in recent months, including four that were announced on Wednesday.

"Students don't seem to realize that downloading illegally ... is like stealing from a music store. ... It's intellectual property," UA member and College sophomore Jason Karsh said.

"We feel that a legal alternative for students should be made available," UA member and College sophomore Sunny Patel added.

However, the "legal alternative" does come with two catches -- cash and compatibility.

Students who opted to use the service would be charged about $2 per month. Not all students would be required to use the service.

Also, the downloaded songs would not be compatible with the iPod, one of the most popular MP3 players among students. Only Windows Media Player-compatible players, which include almost all MP3 players aside from iPods, would be able to play the downloaded songs.

Karsh does not think these obstacles will deter students.

"Students spend $10.25 for a movie at the Bridge. ... Two bucks a month for unlimited music seems like a pretty good deal," he said.

Patel said that almost 70 schools, including Yale, Brown and Cornell, have successfully implemented similar services.

Currently, a music team composed of both students and administrators is looking into three subscription services -- Napster, Cdigix and Ruckus.

Robin Beck, the vice president of Penn's Information Systems and Computing, said ISC would make sure that the service does "not have a negative impact on network performance," such as slowing down the network or circulating viruses.

Certain providers also allow students to share playlists, and others let users download movies as well as music.

"We want ones that will add to the sense of community at Penn and ... [allow] Penn students to see others' playlists and grow and bond over music, which is what music generally does," Karsh said.

Karsh added that administrators, including those in the provost's office, have been enthusiastic about adopting the service.

"The key is that there is an effort on their side," Patel said. "Right now we don't have many ... barriers because we're working with the administration on getting this done."

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