Penn State University broke the ice last winter, and now the number of schools signing deals with Napster in order to provide students with access to legal online downloads is growing rapidly.
Six new colleges -- Cornell University, Middlebury College, the University of Miami, George Washington University, Wright State University, and the University of Southern California -- made it official this week, each school forming its own individual deal with Napster.
The deals will begin this fall.
Penn remains interested in such an opportunity, but has no immediate plans to sign on with Napster.
"It might be possible for Penn, but we have no deals pending," said Robin Beck, vice president of information systems and computing.
A popular online media trading company, Napster offers a subscription service, which includes access to a library of nearly 800,000 songs at a monthly rate of $9.95.
Some schools, such as the University of Southern California, will offer Napster to students at a lowered price while others, such as George Washington University, will make the service entirely free for students, courtesy of an anonymous donor.
Administrators agree that student interest in Napster has been high.
"Most schools are looking at programs like this," said Verne Smith, a senior software-desktop specialist at Wright State University. "We've been involved with it for some time now."
According to Matt Nehmer, a spokesman for George Washington University, "there has been a lot of demand for a service like this on campus."
"Students want to get music through legal means," he added.
At Middlebury College, school officials researched the idea before deciding whether or not to team with Napster.
"We did a student survey during the spring, and the majority thought that it was a good thing," said David Donahue, associate dean of library and information services at the school.
Administrators, he added, have taken their cues from the students.
"This is a pilot for us. It'll be interesting to see what students say about it, and that will determine what happens in the future."
Nehmer anticipates success with the program at George Washington.
"If you were to call us in a year, I think you'd find us very pleased with the results."
The six new schools join Penn State University and the University of Rochester in offering Napster free or at a reduced rate to students. Several other schools around the country are currently in contact with Napster and similar online services, some that offer films as well as music.
