2008 Woodie Awards
Filesharing causes a 'Ruckus'
Pat Sommer
Issue date: 9/26/06 Section: News
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Illegal downloads are a big problem for the music industry. Most Rockhurst students are familiar with the program known as Limewire, a file sharing service of questionable legality. Many similar filesharing services such as the original Napster have faced significant lawsuits, and some individual downloaders have gotten in legal trouble for using the filesharing service.
But the music industry may have found an answer to the filesharing problem in the form of the Ruckus. Ruckus is a filesharing service that charges a monthly fee of $5.99 and is only for students with a ".edu" email address. Because of this fee, downloads are legal because users are not technically "stealing" the music for free. But as of recent, Ruckus has become highly controversial and it has nothing to do with the music industry, but more to do with an unbelieveable advertising stunt. Some now allege that Ruckus fabricated a facebook profile inorder to create a unique group, attracting attention to their product. That group is the controversial "If this group reaches 100,000 members, my girlfriend will have a threesome."
The Basics of Ruckus
Ruckus markets directly to college students. Anyone with a ".edu" email address can subscribe to the service for $5.99 per month. But for "member schools" who pay a fee out of student activities funds, the service is free to all students of the school.
Last year, Gonzaga University brought the program to campus at a cost of $10,000. According to an article in the Gonzaga student newspaper, this fee is waived if 3000 Gonzaga students sign on by the end of this semester. Students can access their Ruckus account from two computers, meaning that they can download from school and home computers.
Ruckus has a library of millions of songs and movies, including 27 full albums from the band Queen. But there are downsides to the program. For one, Apple products like iPods are not compatible with Ruckus. Additionally, students are not able to burn the songs on a CD or transfer them to an MP3 player. The songs must stay on the computer, but students can pay a $20 monthly fee in order to transfer them to another medium. Upon cancelation of this program, Ruckus has found a way to have the song delete itself off an MP3 player.
But the music industry may have found an answer to the filesharing problem in the form of the Ruckus. Ruckus is a filesharing service that charges a monthly fee of $5.99 and is only for students with a ".edu" email address. Because of this fee, downloads are legal because users are not technically "stealing" the music for free. But as of recent, Ruckus has become highly controversial and it has nothing to do with the music industry, but more to do with an unbelieveable advertising stunt. Some now allege that Ruckus fabricated a facebook profile inorder to create a unique group, attracting attention to their product. That group is the controversial "If this group reaches 100,000 members, my girlfriend will have a threesome."
The Basics of Ruckus
Ruckus markets directly to college students. Anyone with a ".edu" email address can subscribe to the service for $5.99 per month. But for "member schools" who pay a fee out of student activities funds, the service is free to all students of the school.
Last year, Gonzaga University brought the program to campus at a cost of $10,000. According to an article in the Gonzaga student newspaper, this fee is waived if 3000 Gonzaga students sign on by the end of this semester. Students can access their Ruckus account from two computers, meaning that they can download from school and home computers.
Ruckus has a library of millions of songs and movies, including 27 full albums from the band Queen. But there are downsides to the program. For one, Apple products like iPods are not compatible with Ruckus. Additionally, students are not able to burn the songs on a CD or transfer them to an MP3 player. The songs must stay on the computer, but students can pay a $20 monthly fee in order to transfer them to another medium. Upon cancelation of this program, Ruckus has found a way to have the song delete itself off an MP3 player.
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