With Ruckus Download Service, West Texas A & M Students Can Get Songs for Free
By Brad Newman, Amarillo Globe-News, Texas
Sep. 28–The words “free” and “legal” don’t usually jibe when music is involved.
But college students at West Texas A & M University now have access to millions of free songs through a legal online music download service, Ruckus Network Inc.
WT’s agreement with Ruckus went into effect last week.
Reagan Oster, a WT freshman from Rockwall, signed up for the service and has downloaded almost 300 songs since then, she said.
“I am constantly listening to music, so Ruckus is great for me,” said Oster, a country music fan. “Everyone I’d want to listen to is on there.”
All students with a valid WT e-mail address ending in .edu can use the advertisement-supported Ruckus for free.
Students can sign up at www.ruckus.com, download the Ruckus music player and start loading songs (from more than 3 million selections) onto their computers.
“My favorite kind of music is free music,” said Sam Waltemeyer, a WT sophomore. “More people will be interested in listening now that they can download all these songs.”
Students can listen to music on up to two different computers for one month before being prompted to renew songs by logging into their Ruckus account.
For $20 per semester, students can transfer songs from their computer hard drive to a portable MP3 player. Ruckus also allows students to buy songs for 99 cents.
“This program allows us to offer an alternative to illegal downloading,” said Jon Behrens, senior director of residential living at WT. “We’re trying to teach students there are ways to enjoy music legally and for free.”
Ruckus also offers free movies, videos and television shows and hosts an online social networking site (like MySpace or Facebook).
WT faculty and staff can use the service for $8.99 per month.
WT’s agreement with Ruckus included the purchase of an $8,000 music computer server that operates from WT’s computer center.
The server is constantly being “loaded up like a jukebox” with new tunes, Behrens said. Students access songs on the server through WT’s high-speed internal network.
“So far, this service works really well,” Oster said. “It’s really fast, and it seems to be safe from spam or computer lock-ups.”
More than half of college students in the U.S. frequently download music illegally, according to the Recording Industry Institute of America’s Web site.
“Universities are all trying to deal with the problem of illegal downloading, and WT is no different,” Behrens said. “Providing a service like Ruckus, though, will curb those issues.”
WT joins more than 175 colleges and universities in the U.S. who have signed up for Ruckus, including Texas Tech, Duke University, Princeton University, the University of Denver and Penn State University.
“The students I’ve talked to about it are excited,” said Shalako Munson, a senior resident assistant at WT’s Cross Hall. “College students are always listening to music, and this program will make our campus a lot more music-friendly.”
ABOUT RUCKUS:
Ruckus Network Inc. is an advertisement-supported online digital media provider for colleges and universities.
Schools that partner with Ruckus have access to millions of songs that enrolled students can download legally for free.
Users can pay a $20-per-semester fee to take songs from their computers onto portable devices. The service also allows students to buy songs online.
In addition, Ruckus offers a social networking site (similar to MySpace or Facebook) where students can connect with others and share musical interests.
For more information, visit www.ruckus.com.
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