NMSU Housing has joined Ruckus Network, Inc., a multimedia network, to provide students with the opportunity to download free and legal music from numerous artists.
The Housing and Residential Life office trial tested the service last semester for students to enjoy free music without facing legal matters.
"Ruckus is free downloading directly to [a student's] PC," Julie Weber, director of NMSU Housing and Residential Life, said. "It is a great option for students to have."
Ruckus offers a variety of music with a library of more than three million songs and is available to all NMSU students living on or off campus; however, Ruckus works best with high speed Internet.
Weber explained she found out about the service by working at other college campuses around the country and realized how important it was for students.
"Our students deserve the chance to have amenities offered to them that other students have on other college campuses," Weber said. "I think having this service is really good for students."
The downloading service is virus-free and users must log-in once a month in order to keep the account active.
"I think it is a blast to use," said Sarah Stoltzfus, president of Student Government for Campus Residents.
Even though Ruckus allows free downloads, students must pay a $20 fee per semester if they wish to transfer their music to an MP3 player or burn CDs, Weber said.
Weber also said NMSU faculty and staff can use the service, but will have to pay an $8.99 fee per month, and alumni can choose to keep the service for a small cost.
"It's good to have students not getting in trouble for illegal downloading," Weber said. "Ruckus is able to offer students a place to download music."
Stoltzfus has already downloaded more than 300 songs and was very enthusiastic about the music it offers.
"[Ruckus] took a very short amount of time to download," Stoltzfus said. "I listen to it everyday. I am thrilled that Ruckus is available to students and I am excited for a new service."
Students must be connected to the Internet at all times in order to download and listen to music.
Ruckus is a great service for students, Weber explained.
She said it was especially important because of the illegal downloading problems NMSU has had in the past with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Weber said RIAA is smart about finding people who have been downloading illegally and is not afraid to come after NMSU, which provides the Internet to those who download.
"[Ruckus] is a legal option to access lots and lots of music," Weber added.
Stoltzfus was happy to see the service, especially because of the downloading problems NMSU has faced.
"I think it is a great way for students to be able to deal with the issues of illegal downloading," Stoltzfus said. "Ruckus is giving [students] an alternative, a fun alternative."
Ruckus is also free of charge for the university. Weber said this is why students will see advertisements on the Web site, which helps the service stay free for its users.
Students who want to use Ruckus and download free music must first visit Ruckus.com and sign-up.
Weber said students must create an account by entering their NMSU e-mail address and creating a password.
The process has four easy steps and takes a short amount of time to download, she said.
"It is awesome to have, and I'm really excited that it is available to students," Stoltzfus said.
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