Overview
Note: On Monday February 9, 2009, MSU was notified that the Ruckus music service is no longer available. This affects all users of the Ruckus network (nationwide). Licenses for the use of music already downloaded will remain valid until their renewal dates at which time the music will become unplayable. Alternatives are being explored.
To find alternatives to Ruckus, search the internet for "legal music downloading services" or "internet radio".
The list below includes a number of popular legal downloading sites. Some are free, others are fee per download or subscription-based.
- http://www.apple.com/itunes/
- http://www.amazon.com
- http://www.jamendo.com/
- http://www.ipodblender.com/
- http://www.rhapsody.com/home.html
- http://www.napster.com/
Internet Radio
Internet radio offers additional digital music access. For example:The remainder of this article is no longer applicable. The information is being retained for the time being due to the small possibility of a revival of the service in the future.
Michigan State University is now providing its students, faculty and staff a way to legally download virus-free digital songs, access movies and television shows, and share downloaded playlists.
Ruckus multimedia service is currently offering its music download service at no cost to any current MSU student accessing Ruckus. Faculty and staff can access this service for a nominal cost.
Ruckus was selected for its ability to form relationships directly with each customer, minimizing MSU’s investment of resources, and for meeting the technical and economic terms of the bid request.
With this service students can legally share music, movies and television shows; create playlists; send personal media recommendations to friends; and browse classmates’ profiles and media libraries. Students can build their libraries from Ruckus’ collection of more than 1.5 million songs, thousands of Hollywood movies, and hit TV shows like “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives,” legally available through exclusive licensing agreements with the top multimedia distributors nationwide.
This document provides answers to frequently asked questions about Ruckus.
Why would I want a download service?
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), instituted a formal campaign to launch lawsuits against users for illegally downloading copyrighted music in 2003. As peer-to-peer file sharing grew in popularity, so too did the RIAA’s efforts. Although file sharing among college students is only a fraction of file sharing globally, if not controlled universities could be forced to make file sharing from campus computers impossible.If you violate federal copyright law and illegally download copyrighted files you could be sued for thousands of dollars by the RIAA and be suspended from your classes and MSU. Is it worth that chance?
Who and what is Ruckus?
How much does Ruckus cost?
Any current MSU student can download and share over 1.5 million songs at no cost. Current faculty and staff can purchase download services for a nominal cost.Additional services including movie downloads and Ruckus-to-go (copying to a Playsforsure Subscription Enabled MP3 player) accounts are also available for an additional charge.
Detailed pricing information for students, faculty and staff can be obtained by registering at Ruckus.com. Once you have a Ruckus account and are signed in at the Ruckus.com website, click on "My Account" at the top of the page for detailed pricing options. You may also e-mail Ruckus support at support@ruckus.com or call Ruckus support directly at 703-464-6500 and select option #7.
How can I pay for services?
All fees for subscriptions and services are billed directly to the customer through a variety of payment methods. Go to Ruckus.com for more information.Who is eligible?
Any current student, staff or faculty with an MSU Net ID.Can alumni use Ruckus?
No. Ruckus is not offered to MSU alumni. If you sign up for the service as a current student, however, you will be offered the option to continue your service at a higher rate when you leave the university.Do I have to live on-campus to get Ruckus?
If you live off-campus you will have access to Ruckus. You will, however, have to go on-campus and connect to the campus network if you intend to download movies or TV shows. Once downloaded to your computer, music and movie downloads are fully functional from any location.Can I burn mix CDs of Ruckus music?
The license agreements Ruckus has with record labels prohibit burning songs to CDs. Two options are provided by Ruckus for burning - eMusic and Buy.com.Can I put Ruckus music on my portable audio player?
Yes! Thanks to DRM, the encryption software that legal downloading services use to protect media files from being illegally shared, you can now have unlimited music...to go! This new feature makes Ruckus a convenient and legal alternative to p2p downloads. In order to use this feature, you must:
- Have a valid Ruckus-to-go subscription. For more information, see the Ruckus Premium Music/Ruckus-to-go page.
- Have a Playsforsure Subscription Enabled compatible MP3 player.
- Have updated firmware for your particular player. Some players may need you to visit the manufacturer’s web site to download the most current firmware for your computer.
Verify the Playsforsure logo is checked for Subscription service as displayed below.
