More schools sign on for Napster's digital music service

Black Issues in Higher Education, Dec 30, 2004 by Ronald Roach

LOS ANGELES

After first gaining notoriety as a controversial Internet-based music swapping service, the reorganized digital music entity known as Napster has announced that four universities will soon offer their students access to Napster's digital music service. Beginning in January, students at Eastern Michigan University, the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville will gain access to the brand that claims to have the largest music catalog and more community features than any other in the market.

"It is extremely rewarding to have the academic community share our dedication to providing a safe and fun means of discovering music," said Chris Gorog, Napster's chairman and C EO. "We are thrilled to bring Napster to a growing number of passionate music fans at campuses across the country."

In 2003, Napster launched its university program with Penn State University and expanded this past fall to major colleges including Cornell University, George Washington University, Middlebury College, University of Miami, University of Rochester, University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University and Wright State University. Students in the program have full access to Napster's unlimited subscription features and online community of music fans. Napster's program allows schools to offer the service to their enrollment at a substantially discounted rate from its usual $9.95 per month.

While establishing these agreements, the schools have been working closely with the Campus Action Network (CAN), a music industry initiative aimed at providing legitimate digital music services to the campus environment. CAN, which is led by Sony BMG Music Entertainment and other record companies, helps institutions to create programs that uniquely fit their needs, as well as the needs of their student bodies.