As a subset of the RIAA using major universities as a stepping stone to 'educate' college students' opinion about illegally downloading music, this is a curious footnote to the RIAA's current 'educational' campaign, seemingly praising Penn State by putting it in the organization's video for having 'sponsored' legal music downloads through Napster. It really seems more like Penn State just trying to get itself more publicity:
It also seems clear Napster wants the additional publicity by offering the free songs through Penn State, given the fact it has not returned to the popularity of its 'heyday,' when it was likely the number one place to download music. It seems Napster has yet to regain its former popularity and music offerings, so it is curious how one of the biggest crackdowns (on Napster) has led to Napster becoming the 'teacher's pet,' trying to paint the RIAA in some way as magnanimous and forgiving, by throwing Napster a bone in this fashion on two fronts. Really, this seems quite an academic affront, given the fact 'higher education' should be as informed about the real world and services it sponsors'”in the same fashion it portrays that students become informed citizens of their world by getting a college degree. Instead of academicians accurately stating the facts about the RIAA, this effort only puts 'positive spin' on an organization that has proven heartless and quite capricious in the legal actions it pursues.
Source: Penn State Live
