Ask some recent university graduates about the heyday of Napster, Kazaa, Direct Connect or Terp Underground and you might elicit a wistful sigh for the days when free music, movies and games were as common and easy to get on the campus as cheap beer, burritos and mild STDs. But now, a far greater deal of searching, ingenuity and even illegal activity is required to get a shrinking selection of pirated media. For those who became accustomed to getting gigabytes of media off the campus network, it’s time to admit times have changed.
Recent years marked by lawsuits, court orders and now a handful of convictions in our own hometown have shown us the market for free media has been pushed out of the mainstream. No longer can students justify consuming large quantities of pirated media simply by citing such easy access.
Free music and movies now require far more sophistication than the search, point and download of Napster and Kazaa: BitTorrent or Direct Connect carry a slightly steeper learning curve, thicker jargon and seedier download sites. Pirated games and hardware such as the modified Xbox systems that landed employees of Pandora’s Cube in court this week need the backing of a knowledgeable geek — or a steady hand and a well-written instruction manual.
While lawsuits can drive the market underground, only feasible alternatives can keep students from delving into the shadows of media piracy, hardware modding and bootlegging. The university, at least, is trying with its Cdigix trial service, though its bevy of flaws are keeping students glued to their gray-market goodies until Cdigix makes its promised improvements. Meanwhile, Apple’s iTunes remains a major source of paid music downloads, with the reincarnated Napster and other services trailing behind.
Certain modifications that allow imported games or larger hard drives can be recognized as realizations of consoles’ potential. The Sony Corporation has spent the past few months trying to stay one step ahead of tech-savvy gamers who modify the new PlayStation Portable to surf the Internet and run homemade programs, but the company made at least one concession by including an Internet browser with its latest software update.
Gone are the days when a freshman could unpack his or her brand-new computer and download every season of The Sopranos within minutes, but by looking to new commercial and technological alternatives, perhaps there can be some consolation for former pirated-media junkies.
