Spring Break
Entertainment program creates a 'ruckus'
Internet service will provide students with unlimited music, movie access for a small price
DJ Slater
Issue date: 9/15/05 Section: Campus News
It was a summer of leisure for senior Shaun Marek as he spent his time in Eau Claire catching up on new movie releases and listening to the latest songs from popular artists.
While it seems like he may have spent a good deal of that time at the movie theater or a local music supplier, Marek never had to leave his room or open his wallet - he was getting the internet media program for free.
Then his actions finally caught up with him when his illegal media garnered the attention of the Recording Industry Association of America. A couple of weeks into the summer Marek had a copyright violation.
"The university contacted me and told me that it's against the university policy," he said. "I just needed to be in compliance with the university policy so I needed to have that file off my computer."
Now, instead of students worrying about these violations, a service called Ruckus will provide students with unlimited access to music and movies - for a price.
For $14.95 per semester, students can download limitless music tracks from popular and well-known artists, $19.95 for semester-long movie access and $29.95 for both, said Josh Weiner, director of communications for Ruckus.
"All of our music is fully licensed and fully protected," Weiner said. "It's a pretty accessible service that we feel fulfills students' needs."
While other peer-to-peer sharing devices, like Kazaa or Bearshare, bring in spyware and viruses, Ruckus contains clean files that won't ruin a person's hard drive, he said.
"We spent time listening to students to see what they wanted to use," Weiner said. "It's pretty much what makes us different than everyone else."
Ruckus, which has been in business about three years, started its subscription services with eight universities last year. Now, they have 20 and expect to gain more popularity in the future.
UW-Eau Claire's Director of Libraries Bob Rose said the service may reduce the amount of illegal downloading at Eau Claire, but he doesn't think it will stop completely.
While it seems like he may have spent a good deal of that time at the movie theater or a local music supplier, Marek never had to leave his room or open his wallet - he was getting the internet media program for free.
Then his actions finally caught up with him when his illegal media garnered the attention of the Recording Industry Association of America. A couple of weeks into the summer Marek had a copyright violation.
"The university contacted me and told me that it's against the university policy," he said. "I just needed to be in compliance with the university policy so I needed to have that file off my computer."
Now, instead of students worrying about these violations, a service called Ruckus will provide students with unlimited access to music and movies - for a price.
For $14.95 per semester, students can download limitless music tracks from popular and well-known artists, $19.95 for semester-long movie access and $29.95 for both, said Josh Weiner, director of communications for Ruckus.
"All of our music is fully licensed and fully protected," Weiner said. "It's a pretty accessible service that we feel fulfills students' needs."
While other peer-to-peer sharing devices, like Kazaa or Bearshare, bring in spyware and viruses, Ruckus contains clean files that won't ruin a person's hard drive, he said.
"We spent time listening to students to see what they wanted to use," Weiner said. "It's pretty much what makes us different than everyone else."
Ruckus, which has been in business about three years, started its subscription services with eight universities last year. Now, they have 20 and expect to gain more popularity in the future.
UW-Eau Claire's Director of Libraries Bob Rose said the service may reduce the amount of illegal downloading at Eau Claire, but he doesn't think it will stop completely.