What is Napster?
Napster improves your music collection by millions of songs. Listen to and download
all the music you want on up to 3 PCs. Napster makes it easy to find your favorite artists,
discover new music and get the latest releases as soon as they come out. Connect Napster to
your home stereo and itís like having a CD changer with 100,000 albums by over 80,000
artists. For a complete list of features of Napster
click here. (http://www.napster.com/what_is_napster.html)
What is Napster To Go?
With Napster To Go, you get everything that comes with Napster plus you can take your choice of millions
of songs anywhere on your compatible MP3 player. Click here (http://www.napster.com/ntg.html) for a complete list of features of Napster To Go service.
What is Napster On Campus?
Napster On Campus gives you everything you get with Napster during your academic year.
During the summer, your account will be downgraded to a Napster Light Account. You will still be able to log in,
sample music, and purchase tracks.
Why is WSU providing a music downloading service to its students?
Wright State is concerned that
some of its students don't understand that downloading music over computer
networks without purchasing copyright permission is both unethical and
against the law. The University believes it has a responsibility to
do something to change that. WSU will continue to educate students on
this issue and will continue to enforce its policies against copyright
infringement. At the same time, the University wants to provide legal
alternatives to illegal downloading. This service is directly aimed
at helping students understand the issue and providing them with an
alternative.
WSU Responsible Use of Information Technology Policy
Why did Wright State University choose Napster?
The University chose the service
that had the largest catalog and features including an easy to use interface,
and a reasonable cost. Through the use of local network caching, the
Napster service will also allow WSU to provide a more robust experience
without impacting Internet bandwidth.
How does providing Napster educate students about copyright?
By making Napster available to
its students, Wright State University has provided a convenient way
for students to obtain music legally. It is hoped that this initiative,
coupled with other educational initiatives, will curb the illegal sharing
of copyrighted files, while teaching students the concept of copyright
and the importance of using legal means to obtain music.
How will the University and the
industry deal with students who continue to download music illegally once this new service
is in place?
Wright State has set a nationwide example in enforcing copyright laws as it pertains
to network computing. Enforcement of these laws and University policy on network usage
will continue at least as strongly as it has in the past.
What music services are offered through this arrangement?
Napster
includes millions of tracks. Tracks can be streamed through the Internet
or collected on the hard drive to listen to offline. Napster also offers
commercial-free, interactive radio along with community tools for discovering
and sharing music. The service is fully described at
http://www.napster.com.
What is the cost of Napster on Campus
service, and how will it affect tuition rates?
Napster normally costs $9.95 per month for
the general public. The university receives a discount for the volume
purchase of subscriptions.
Again this year, resident student subscriptions will be covered by the university.
Non-resident students can purchase the service for $25
for the full academic year. As we look at fees for next year, we do
not expect the University contract rate for Napster to have any significant
impact on the student activity fee.
For 2007, Napster has extended a special discount offer for WSU faculty and
staff. They can subscribe to Napster for only $6.95/month, a 30% savings.
When will the service become available?
When does it expire?
The service will become available to students on September 1, 2007.
All Napster On Campus subscriptions expire on May 31, at which point
students will have the option to sign up for the summer months.
Does Napster monitor what I'm
listening to and downloading?
Napster monitors and keeps records
of all the tracks that are downloaded, purchased, or streamed. This
is necessary not only to allow customers to recover their music if they
lose it, but also for accounting purposes so that the artists and record
labels are paid the correct royalties.
Does Wright State monitor
what I'm listening to and downloading?
WSU's role is to provide technical
support so that the music service can be efficiently and conveniently
served. The University does not monitor, keep records of, or have an
interest in students' music collections and downloads, other than to
encourage and support legal methods of music acquisition, and to take
action against any copyright violations.
Does Napster follow
Wright State's personal information policies? Will Napster be
allowed to share Wright State e-mail addresses to third parties?
Yes, Napster does follow Wright
State personal information policies and Napster treats our students'
privacy very seriously. Information about usage behavior, e-mail addresses,
and other personal information are never shared with third parties.
Your e-mail address is used solely for announcements and sending you
your password should you forget it.
Why are we being forced to use Napster?
Wright State is providing a legal
choice. Students are free to use any music service they wish, as long
as it's legal. There are other sources of alternative legal music sources
available online, such as iTunes, Rhapsody, MusicMatch, etc.
What exactly can I do with the service?
You can listen to songs and download all the songs you want. If a song can be streamed
or downloaded, it will have a "buy song" status under the 'buy song" column. To stream that
song, you can either double-click on it, or you can right click then select "play." To
download the song, you must right click on it and select "download song(s)." Neither of
these actions cost any additional amount of money to subscribers.
Where can I access my music?
Students can access their Napster accounts from any computer with an Internet connection
on or off campus. The performance of music streaming as well as download times will vary
depending on the bandwidth of your Internet connection (broadband/192+ kbps is recommended).
You are allowed to download songs on up to three computers without additional costs, but can
stream from any computer. This means that a student working in a public lab can sign on to
his/her Napster account and listen to his/her own playlists while doing work.
I'll be off-campus/abroad for a part of the year. Can I use Napster off-campus?
Yes you can. You must register for Napster and install the Napster client in the U.S.
Once you are registered, the Napster service will work from any Internet connection. The
quality of the service will depend on the bandwidth of your Internet connection. Napster
recommends 192+ kbps of bandwidth. Make sure the computer you're using meets the minimum
requirements.
Can I keep my music?
You can keep the music that you purchased forever. If you own a song, you can burn
it to a CD and record it to your hard drive. It is yours forever. The music that is
streamed or downloaded (as a tethered download) via this service is "time-stamped"
so that it will expire when the subscription ends. This would include any playlists
you have created as well. If you rejoin Napster the following academic year, or after
graduation, your account will be reopened just as it was when you stopped subscribing.
What happens to my music and playlists over the summer?
When school ends for the summer, you will continue to have access to any songs you've purchased.
You also will be able to access Napster as a Napster Light Member for sampling and purchasing songs
and albums. However, you will not be able to obtain additional tethered downloads or stream music
from Napster during the summer unless you sign up for Napster during the summer. If you have upgraded
to Napster To Go, then you will be able to continue to transfer you're already-downloaded songs to your
compatible device.
Who is eligible to use the service?
Any student of Wright
State University is eligible for the Napster On Campus service. In addition,
WSU faculty and staff can purchase a Napster subscription at a discount.
Does Napster run on all computers?
Napster can be used by anyone with
a PC running Windows 2000 or XP. With the addition of Virtual
PC, it will also run on Macintosh computers.
Why isn't Napster compatible with Windows 98 or ME?
There are two reasons: 1) Microsoft
no longer provides support for Windows 98 or ME, and 2) Windows 98 and
ME are not compatible with Microsoft's digital rights management used
by Napster. Upgrading your machine to Windows XP would make your system
compatible, and is a good idea for security and technical reasons. Visit
the CaTS Help Desk in 025 Library Annex to find out how you can upgrade
to XP and get other software and accessories for using Napster at low
educational prices.
Can students save music
file to hard drives and/or burn them to CDs?
Thousands of tethered downloads
are available and may be saved on the student's computer hard drive.
Students may also purchase permanent copies of songs from Napster and
then burn them to CDs or transfer them to a Napster-supported MP3 player
via the service.
What is tethered
downloading and how does it work?
Tethered downloading is effectively
a rental of music and is very similar in concept to renting DVDs from
a video store. Actually, it is a rental that continues as long as the
monthly fees are paid, in this case either by the University, or the
subscriber. Tethered downloading enables a user to log in to the Napster
service from any computer that runs the Napster program and access those
songs that have been downloaded. Songs downloaded in this manner
can reside on the hard drive of no more than three computers at a time.
How
much does it cost to burn a CD or download to my hard drive if I really
like a song and want to keep it in my collection permanently?
The cost for a permanent download is currently $0.99 per track or $9.95 per album.
To listen to music, I must
be connected to the Internet, right?
You can listen to downloaded tracks without being connected to the Internet.
Can I import tracks
from non-Napster sources into my music collection?
Napster and Wright State do not monitor, review, or even look at imported tracks. However, make sure
that all the music you have is legal.
Will the tracks
I already downloaded work in Napster?
Yes. They will work, and are simple to load.
Can I use Napster on my Mac?
Napster is currently unavailable
on the Macintosh operating system. Mac users can consider using Virtual
PC, a software product which emulates the Windows operating system
on a Macintosh computer. However, please note that reports are mixed
on this solution. Some have found it to be satisfactory, while others
have not.
Virtual PC is available as part of Office 2004 Pro from the
WSU Student Software Licensing Programs.
What if I already have a Napster account?
You cannot register multiple times using the same e-mail address. Contact Napster for assistance; see the
support page for contact information.
Can I connect to my Napster account
from anywhere using my laptop?
Yes, you should be able to register
and use the Napster service anywhere that you have access to the Internet,
as long as you meet the requirements .
What exactly can I do for free?
You can listen to songs and download
tracks. If a song can be streamed or downloaded, both of which are free
using Napster with WSU registration, it will have a "buy track" status
under the 'buy track" column. To stream that track, you can either double-click
on it, or you can right click then select "play." To download the track,
you must right click on it and select "download track(s)." Neither of
these cost anything.
What exactly do I have to pay for?
If you select "burn track," "buy
track," or "buy album," then you will be charged $0.99 per song or $9.95
per album. Songs that must be purchased are labeled "buy only."
(Note that artists often change a song from "buy only" to "buy track"
soon after the release date, so keep checking!)
Why are some songs highlighted in blue?
The songs that are identified with
a blue font are the most heavily requested tracks. Essentially, it's
just a way for users to find popular songs quickly and easily.
How do I pay for songs?
Can I charge it to my Bursar account?
There are currently two methods
of paying for songs. You can either use a credit card (a pop-up window
will appear prompting you for information) or use Napster
Music Download Cards .
Napster song purchases may not be applied to a student Bursar account
and are not monitored by Wright State.
Can I keep all the songs I download?
All downloaded songs will expire
when you leave the University, unless you have paid for them. In other
words, you can listen to all the songs you want for free while you are
attending WSU, but tracks you want to keep must be purchased. This is
called tethered downloading; see What
is tethered downloading for further explanation.
What happens when students go home for the summer
When school ends for the summer,
students will have access to their tethered downloads, in addition to
tracks they've purchased. They also will be able to access Napster's
basic service. However, they will not be able to obtain additional tethered
downloads during the summer unless they sign up for the Napster subscription
during the summer.
Will my library have to be
reconstructed when I return in the fall?
Will I lose all my playlists and downloads?
No, your library should work just fine at the start fall quarter. You'll just need a
new promo code to resume Napster On Campus service.
Will the service provide
access to movies and videos?
Not during this initial period. That may come later as the technologies are refined and service grows.
How do I get help if I have a problem?
See the support page for contact information.
Will downloading cause
bandwidth problems for the university?
No. We are using a dedicated system
providing a local cache of those songs that are most popular, meaning
that one won't actually have to use the Internet to download those songs.
Second, by taking advantage of this service students will not have to
illegally download files in a way that would compromise bandwidth.
Does the network support streaming?
Streaming
is a key feature of the service. Napster plans to install most of its
music on a server at Wright State to facilitate streaming. Although
there might be some initial delays as the system is fine-tuned, there
should be excellent service to all on-campus users as the system is
implemented.
How
will the University and the industry deal with students who continue
to download music illegally once this new service is in place?
Wright State has set a nationwide
example in enforcing copyright laws as it pertains to network computing.
Enforcement of these laws and University policy on network usage will
continue at least as strongly as it has in the past.
Will Napster be available
on operating systems other than Windows 2000 and XP in the future?
The University is very interested
in offering the Napster service to more operating systems. Ideally,
all students would be able to use the service, regardless of which operating
system they have. Wright State University has informed Napster that
some of our students are running Linux, Macintosh, or older versions
of Windows operating systems. Should Napster become available to additional
operating systems, it will be announced on the Napster
news page . (Note that with the addition of certain software, it
will also run on Macintosh computers; see question
- "Can I run Napster on my Mac?" .)
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