University Park, Pa. -- Last year, more than 27,000 Penn State students embraced the Penn State Napster music service, downloading close to 5.8 million tracks to their computers. Students again can sign up for the free service beginning on Aug. 30 by going to http://napster.psu.edu online.
The service now offers about 1.5 million tracks, including music by several student bands, all legally available for Penn State students to download or stream for free. As with all Napster tracks, student bands' music is offered as unlimited streaming and tethered downloads, or listeners can purchase permanent downloads for 99 cents each. These features -- along with access to 50 fully-interactive, commercial-free radio stations, five decades of Billboard chart data, an online magazine and several community features -- are part of Napster's premium service, which is offered to the general public for $9.95 per month but is free to Penn State students.
In addition, students' music becomes portable with Napster To Go, which gives members the ability to transfer tethered downloads to a compatible mp3 player. Penn State Napster members can choose this service for a discounted rate of $5 per month. For more information on Napster To Go, check http://www.napster.com/ntg.html online.
"We're very happy that students are using the Penn State Napster service to obtain their music, rather than turning to illegal file-sharing," said Penn State President Graham B. Spanier, who has testified before the U.S. Congress on the topic. "When we introduced the service to students, we emphasized that music piracy is wrong. At the same time, we realized that without a legal alternative, students were not going to rush to stop the practice of illegally downloading music. Providing the Napster music service reinforced our message, and it's working."
Following Penn State's lead, scores of colleges and universities across the country now offer alternative solutions to the illegal downloading of music.
"I am pleased with the great progress made by the higher-education community in addressing piracy on our campuses. We are seeing considerable responsiveness while at the same time educating our students about intellectual property," said Spanier, who co-chairs the Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities with Cary Sherman, president of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"We can and should raise awareness of copyright issues, teach our students about integrity, and prove that the higher-education community values ethical behavior on its campuses. If we allow students to leave college without comprehending that piracy is wrong, we are failing a generation in more ways than one."
Learn more about the University's initiatives in providing legal alternatives to online piracy at http://live.psu.edu/napster