Rochester U: 2nd Napster site
It had to happen. Another American school has followed Penn State’s lead to become the second official Napster II download site.
This time, 3,700 students in New York State’s private University of Rochester will be plugged into Napster II’s ‘premium’ music service later this semester.
Nor will it end there. The university’s Eastman School of Music will be, “developing ways in which Napster can begin to provide original content from Eastman students and faculty to service members across the entire Napster network,” says a school puff release, continuing that Napster II’s fees will be paid by the University, “through the 2005 spring semester when, “the service will be evaluated and permanent funding arrangements within the University will be determined”.
Hollywood first penetrated the American educational system through its RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and (Motion Picture Association of America) enforcement organs.
The RIAA and MPAA are in lock-step behind the Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment set up to help students learn the ways of truth and righteousness as defined by the RIAA and MPAA.
As part of their studies, students learn how to download music from Napster II, a corporate online music ’store’ backed by Big Music.
Undoubtedly, a similar service similarly billed as an anti-piracy measure will be offered to schools as soon as the MPAA figures out a way to go about it on behalf of its owners, the major movie studios.
Meantime, Rochester University provost Charles E. Phelps is “very proud that the University of Rochester will be at the forefront of this emerging trend by offering students easy access to a high quality, legitimate music service.”
By an amazing coincidence, Phelps sits on the Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment which, by another fortuitous circumstance, has RIAA president Cary Sherman and Penn State president Graham Spanier as joint chairs.
February 5th, 2004 at 9:33 pm
RIAA and MPAA can KMA
February 5th, 2004 at 9:41 pm
M2
February 6th, 2004 at 12:32 am
The name of the school is the University of Rochester, not, as this article states, Rochester University.
February 6th, 2004 at 12:34 am
Hey-
I’m a UofR alum ‘96. It’s University of Rochester not Rochester University. Not sure how I feel about my alma mater supporting the big bastard media companies.
February 6th, 2004 at 2:09 am
This whole thing is about money.
“to help students learn the ways of truth and righteousness as defined by the RIAA and MPAA”
why do these groups think they can define truth and righteousness? And even still, why should students need to learn this definiton? To thes companies truth and righteousness mean giving more money to people and coorperations who are already rich.
February 6th, 2004 at 2:09 am
Me3
February 6th, 2004 at 8:35 pm
actually, its not about money. if it was about money, the students would have to pay for it. but its being provided free to the students. its a great step in the right direction, as it is not only is it getting the RIAA off their backs, but it is giving many students exactly what they want: free, downloadable music. how can anyone think this is a bad thing? the bad ones are the schools that willingly and openly give away the names of students at specific IP addresses so the riaa can rape them for all they are worth, and the school and say “i told you so” and laugh.
February 6th, 2004 at 9:32 pm
It is about a lot more than just one school. I am at the U of R, and Provost Phelps told me that it is being used as a trial for eventually having mandatory licensing for all ISPs. Once they have the music sharing up, and running the RIAA intends to go back to congress, and make the ISP’s liable for ALL copyright infringement on the their networks, unless they pay the RIAA protection money by sigining up for one of these services.