Wednesday, July 27, 2005

University receives huge discount with music deal: The University of Washington was offered a signficant discount as part of the details revealed in its online music deal with Dell and Napster, which would "force-feed" students the Napster music service and leave owners of the most popular MP3 player, the iPod, to buy their music elsewhere, according to The Register. Supported by public funds, the university was forced to release the financial details of the agreement, which revealed that UW will pay Napster $24,000 for 8 months of service, about $2 per student for 1,500 students--much less than the typical charge of $10-$15 per month. In addition, Dell will contribute $24,000 for another 1,500 kids as well as offer $53,000 worth of servers, as part of the agreement. "Under the provisions the University must exclusively promote the Dell branded DJ, secure two Dell kiosks on campus to feature Dell products and services, facilitate a Dell launch event in the back-to-school timeframe, host Dell information on the UW website, execute an email campaign and participate in a case study." (Via MacNN.) It is appalling that a public university would sell its academic independence to particular brands for a kickback. This is the moral equivalent of payola. Is there an Elliot Spitzer in Washington State? Providing discounted online music services cannot be seen as part of a university's mission by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, it is surrender to the RIAA and pandering to law-breaking students. Dis-education rather than education. 10:26:31 PM