We want music, but we want it legally. The College already offers us cable television and high-speed Internet access; why not add a service such as Napster? While free music is not a necessary component of a liberal arts education, such a service would solve the problem of illegal downloads and provide yet another boon to Amherst's ever-improving housing. Music is an integral part of college life in America and at Amherst, and students will get their music any way they can. For our parents, this meant going to the store and buying records. For us, however, music and the Internet are inextricably linked.
Eight colleges and universities across the country, most notably Middlebury College, have already signed up for a service from Napster that gives students unlimited streaming and downloading of music but charges a small fee to burn songs onto CDs and portable devices. While we do not know the cost of such a service due to disclosure agreements between Napster and its partner schools, we feel that it would be a worthwhile way for either the College or the AAS to allocate funds. If a campus-wide referendum is necessary for the service's approval, we think that it would receive considerable support.
While students can choose to subscribe to Napster or similar services themselves, a College-wide service would lower the cost to individuals. Even students who are not currently downloading music either legally or illegally would probably take advantage if a legal option were available. The benefits would be myriad for every member of the community, from the cover bands who perform at weekend parties to the students wearing headphones in Seeley Mudd as they type away into the wee hours of the morning. We urge students and members of the administration alike to consider lending their support to this proposal.