Ball State University students may soon find it easier to gain access to the millions of songs available through Internet downloading services. The trick to getting this access legally? Pay for it.
Student Government Association President Steve Geraci is following up on his campaign promise to get Ball State an affiliation with a music downloading service by working with University Computing Services (UCS) toward signing an agreement with both Napster and iTunes. The agreements would give Ball State students access to millions of songs provided in the two companies' databases.
Geraci said students would have the option not to pay for the services. There will be an option, he said, for students to include the price of either the iTunes or Napster service within the Student Activity Fee. The price he said would come out to be close to $2 to $5 a month, according to a sample agreement he saw from Napster on campus.
Sophomore Michelle Dangler said she agrees with the idea to hook the price onto the Student Activity Fee.
"I think attaching the option to the Student Activity Fee would be a great idea," Dangler said. "I guess you would kind of forget where your money is going and it would just get thrown in the mix and down the drain with all our other college money. Also, if this was paid once a semester or year instead of once a month, I don't think students would be mad about it, because it's not hanging over them every month."
Junior Tara Reed lives off campus and has been able to download her music for free, though illegally, through the popular downloading service LimeWire.
"I think it would be beneficial [to have services affiliated with BSU] but there's still programs you can get on the Internet for free," Reed said. "So that might be a factor why people wouldn't get it."Geraci said the reason he has been working toward this goal is that students are trying to get music illegally. Having an affiliation with these services would give students a legal way to save people money and bandwidth.
"We wanted to provide a legal cost-efficient alternative," Geraci said.
Reed said the idea of paying for legal service might be tempting for younger and newer students, but not returning students.
"I think it will be popular with incoming freshmen as opposed to sophomores, juniors and seniors," she said. "By now, after freshman year, you've figured out a way to get [the music]."
Geraci said the system should be ready to go in spring semester, but at the very worst next fall.
"University Computing Services and the Division of Information Technology are working really hard with student leaders to make this happen," Geraci said. "It is just a matter of timing."
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