USAO Raises a ‘Ruckus’ With Free Song Downloads
 

CHICKASHA – Students at the University of Science and Arts just got a new perk thrown into their enrollment package: free, legal music downloads. By partnering with high speed Internet service provider OneNet, Ruckus Network, Inc. now offers unlimited free song downloads to all USAO students with a student email address.

The new service was made possible by an agreement with Ruckus, USAO and OneNet, coordinated by Lynn Boyce, chief information officer and director of information, research and network services.

“We are very pleased to provide this exciting, new free music service to our students,” Boyce said. “As USAO expands its technological services, it’s important that we continue offering our students the best opportunities available to complement the liberal arts experience.”

Ruckus boasts a collection of more than 2.1 million downloadable songs. Virus-free and hi-fi, Ruckus’ songs are completely legal. Through licensing agreements with major international record labels, independent labels and artists, Ruckus solves many copyright infringement concerns. In addition to a huge music selection, Ruckus also offers video downloads for a fee.

USAO joins several other Oklahoma universities selected to participate in the free on-campus music service.

“We are very excited to make our music service available to students in Oklahoma along with hundreds of schools across the country,” said Ed Cheely, Director of Campus Relations at Ruckus. “Students at these schools have been emailing us for months requesting subscriptions, and we are happy to now provide a digital entertainment network and a safe and legal solution to file-sharing at no cost to students or to the school.”  

Although the service is free, there are some limitations. Only USAO students with a USAO student email account are eligible for Ruckus downloads. Staff, faculty and alumni must pay a fee to download movies or videos. Additionally, Ruckus is available only for PC users running Windows XP or 2000 with Windows Media Player 9 or greater.

Mac and iPod users cannot use the music download functionality of Ruckus. However, they can still sign up and participate in the online community aspect of the Ruckus service. With a Ruckus-to-Go subscription, some MP3 players can store and play Ruckus songs, depending on the type of player and subscription setup.

Eric Gameros, communication junior from Blanchard, said the service is a good deal.

“For students who live on campus and have PCs or Windows Media Player, it’s a blessing,” Gameros said. “You can get all the free music you want. For those who can’t afford an iPod or a Zune, it’s a good deal, because you can put them on Windows Media-formatted media. Of course it has limitations, so it’s not for everybody.”

Additionally, Ruckus songs cannot be burned to CD. However, students who use a PC or laptop for their primary source of music are sure to benefit from the huge, online musical library.

Ruckus’ website is www.ruckus.com. USAO’s Information Services department has posted additional information about Ruckus at www.usao.edu/infoservices/ruckus.htm and www.usao.edu/infoservices/ruckus-faq.htm.

NEWS RELEASE       January 23, 2007
UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND ARTS OF OKLAHOMA - CHICKASHA
CONTACT MICHAEL BENDURE, News Bureau, 405-574-1362, mbendure@usao.edu
RANDY TALLEY: Public Relations, 405-574-1337, rtalley@usao.edu
LAURA HARRISON: Public Relations, 405-574-1318, lharrison@usao.edu
FAX: 405-574-1377