Napster's faceless followers

On an average day, Tim, a junior, gets back from classes and reads his e-mail. He checks some Websites like ESPN.com. Then he logs onto Napster to search for the song that his friend mentioned to him at lunch, and minutes later, he is relaxing at his desk listening to the newly downloaded MP3 playing crisply and clearly through his speakers.

Though Tim said he still prefers listening to CDs as opposed to MP3s, he said programs like Napster let him listen to songs that his friends suggest to him so he can avoid buying an entire album for a single track.

"If someone tells me about a rare song, I can download it to listen to it," he said.

Though not every University student uses the service so religiously, Napster has definitely left an indelible digital footprint on the campus. Equipped with blazing-fast Internet connections, students can download entire albums in less than five minutes.

Coupled with their limited budgets, many students interviewed said Napster has helped them listen to songs they like without spending about $15 on the whole CD.

Bargain hunting

Melissa, a junior, is a less avid user of Napster — the music file-sharing community that boasts more than 20 million users. She said, like Tim, she uses the service to find individual songs, though only about once per week.

"It's cheaper for students," she said.

Melissa added that despite her casual attitude toward the program, she is aware of the possible legal issues involved in downloading copyrighted music for free.

"I guess if I was in the music industry, I wouldn't be too happy, because Napster is taking someone else's work and giving it out on the Internet for free," she said. "But I'm not in the music industry, so it's not a big issue for me."

Though a large number of University students use Napster or at least listen to MP3s on their computers, there are still some who do not use the program.

Some are opposed to distributing MP3s, but most are like Jeff Mah '02, who said he does not use the software because he simply never got interested in the fad. "I don't use Napster at all. I never did. I play my CDs. I just didn't get into it," Mah said.

Mah said that despite his lack of interest in Napster, he does not believe the company or its users are guilty of copyright violations. Rather, they are just creating more competition for the recording companies. "I don't think it's unfair to the recording industry. It might hurt them, but [Napster] is a new competitor that has come up in the digital age," he said.

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The music industry has complained publicly that programs such as Napster are hurting their sales, especially among college students.

Peter, a junior, disagreed. Though he uses the program several times per day, he said he believes Napster actually helps to boost the industry's sales. "I have not been buying fewer CDs. In fact, I have been buying more. Some things that I have found on Napster have given me interest in artists that I would not have been exposed to otherwise," he said.

Scott, a junior, said though Napster may affect record companies' sales, he does not believe it is in violation of copyright laws. "As far as I can tell, there are no explicit laws against sharing music, but I can understand the complaint of the record companies to an extent," he said.

Though he uses the service infrequently to add to his eclectic collection of pop, rap and classic rock, Chris, a junior, agreed that Napster is not illegal and therefore should not be shut down. "Napster is not selling songs, they are only providing a place for people to download them," he said. "It is no more illegal than taping a movie off HBO and giving it to a friend."

Perilous projection

University General Counsel Howard Ende said Napster users actually may be violating copyright law by knowingly distributing their MP3s. "I would advise students that they do this at their peril," he said.

He added that lawyers for the Recording Industry Association of America may be able to bring suit against flagrant Napster users. "They may have the ability to bring viable action, if only to set an example," Ende said.

CIT's policy and security adviser Rita Saltz said the University's stance on Napster is that it is not illegal, "but it can be." She said that in some cases, simply downloading an MP3 may not be illegal, but allowing other users to access it is a violation of the University's copyright policy.

She said CIT will order any student distributing MP3s to "cease and desist." She added that it may be a disciplinary matter because the University has regulations prohibiting copyright violations by students.

Nevertheless, Scott said he has "no qualms downloading MP3s when the record industry has been content to practice price gouging for years, willing to charge $17 for CDs that cost barely nothing to make."

He added that programs like Napster "may be reducing the profits that [record companies] are taking in, but if that forces them to reduce the prices on CDs, then I would definitely celebrate that result."