The digital music program, which uses peer to peer technology and enables listeners to enjoy an extended archive of licensed music legally, has gained popularity within the past few years and is now commonplace on many students’ computers.
Oxford University Computing Services (OUCS) recently added Spotify to a small list of Peer to Peer programs mentioned in its conditions of use which apparently detrimentally affect its bandwidth utilisation. OUCS provide access to the internet in halls of residence and University buildings across Oxford University’s 38 colleges for free.
On their website, OUCS say that the use of peer to peer technology en masse by students causes the network to slow down for all users. “It is one thing attempting to justify a network upgrade on the basis of a genuine academic requirement… It is another thing trying to do it purely to cope with the demands of high-bandwidth recreational usage.” Peer to Peer usage within many University residences is impossible altogether. Students using the internet at Oxford University are only allowed to use the voice over internet application Skype via a specific internet port, making the program ‘acceptable’ for use.
As reported by Oxford University’s independent student newspaper the Cherwell, students are up in arms over the ban. Many joined Facebook groups discussing ways in which it is possible to get around the ban and access Spotify, whilst others questioned the inability of Oxford University’s network to handle such applications.
Spotify’s format is seen by many to be a significant advance, both in the way users consume music and how record labels can create a new profit from digital music.
The business model allows record labels to sign up to supply their songs in return for profit gained from both audio advertising aired in between songs and a subscription charge for a premium service.
Users do not own the songs unless bought, and recently an iPhone application was approved by Apple, meaning that premium users can now stream songs on their personal MP3 players too. Apple’s warming towards the application was for many a surprise, as Spotify is widely seen as a rival to the success of the iTunes store which, since its inception in 2003, has been the most popular way in which MP3s are bought.
The widespread use of high quality streaming media on the internet has increased in recent years, and in April 2008 the internet service provider Tiscali claimed that the popularity of BBC’s iPlayer was causing such a strain on existing network capacity that the corporation should help fund network development alongside ISPs.
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