Syracuse University students now have an opportunity to access 1.2 million licensed tracks of music and hundreds of hit movies via the Internet-legally-by joining the SU Ruckus Community. The University is among dozens of universities across the country that have reached agreements with the Ruckus Digital Entertainment Network to provide students with a legal alternative for downloading and sharing music and videos. The service is available to students living both on and off campus.
"Ruckus was selected as the vendor of choice through a collaborative effort of faculty, staff and students," says Paul Gandel, SU's vice president for information technology and chief information officer. "We believe Ruckus will provide students, at a reasonable cost, convenient access to a vast array of on-demand digital programs, while still preserving the rights of copyright holders."
Under the agreement, all SU students can register for the SU Ruckus Community for free at http://ruckus.com. As members of the Ruckus Community, students have free access to Ruckus Radio, where they can listen to a limited playlist of the top tunes being downloaded on the entertainment network nationally and at SU. Additionally, students will have free access to any music or videos that are produced on the SU campus and posted to the SU Ruckus Community Web site.
Students can also subscribe to the Ruckus Entertainment Network music and video services. The subscription provides students with a limited license to download and listen to all of the music and videos available on the Ruckus network. When students drop their subscriptions, the license expires and the
music and movies will no longer play on their computers. The cost of the subscription varies, depending on the types of digital entertainment services students choose.
Available services include the basic Ruckus Music Service, which provides students access to the entire Ruckus music library for less than the cost of a CD per semester; Ruckus-to-Go, which enables students to transfer music from their computers to compatible MP3 players; and a movie option, which enables students to download selected movies and hit television shows. Subscribers also have the option to purchase music tracks for a cost of 79-99 cents per track. The Ruckus digital entertainment services and subscriptions are not compatible with Macintosh computers or iPods.
The SU Ruckus Community digital entertainment service is among several steps the University is taking to encourage students to use legal methods of obtaining copyrighted materials, including music, videos, games and software. Additional steps include expanded educational efforts to inform students about copyright laws, possible consequences of violating those laws and the computer security risks involved with downloading files from anonymous sources via the Internet; and better integrating the University's copyright enforcement activities with the educational initiatives.
"With a Ruckus subscription, 58 cents per week buys worry-free access to 1.2 million tracks of music," says Gary McGinnis, director of CMS client services, "and not one virus, worm or spyware."
