Cornell University CIT

• A-Z list of services
• Site Index

• Services
• Audio & Video

Ruckus

Ruckus is a digital entertainment network designed specifically for college students. The Ruckus service provides Cornell students with access to over 3 million songs and hundreds of videos. With Ruckus, students can download and share playlists of music and movies with their friends and classmates in a fast and user-friendly download environment designed exclusively for college students. Users can recommend favorite tracks, and look at other people's libraries.

• Do I own the music and movies I download?
• What is Ruckus-To-Go?
• Why would I want a download service?
• Who is eligible?
• What music is available on Ruckus?
• How much does Ruckus cost?
• How do I pay for services?
• How do I create a Ruckus account?
• Do I have to live on campus to get Ruckus?
• Can I put Ruckus music on my portable audio player?
• Will Ruckus music play on my iPod?
• Can I burn CDs of Ruckus music?
• Does Ruckus work on a Macintosh or Linux computer?
• What is the file format of the media I download from Ruckus?
• Does Ruckus allow users to share their favorites on Facebook?

Do I own the music and movies I download?

No. Music files you download are protected by digital rights management, so they're licensed to you for 30 days. A "Renew By" date in your music and movie libraries indicates when the license for each downloaded title will expire. If you are logged into Ruckus and play an expired song, the license will renew automatically. You can also manually renew the license by right-clicking the title and selecting "renew license." You can renew a track as many times as you like as long as you are a Ruckus subscriber. If you cancel Ruckus, you will no longer be able to renew your licenses.

Students who opt for the Ruckus-To-Go plan ($20/term) may copy downloaded music to a compatible portable player.

Movie files you download are also protected by digital rights management and can be played on your PC for 5 days, after which time they remove themselves.

What is Ruckus-To-Go?

For $20/term Ruckus-To-Go lets you move downloaded Ruckus music from your PC to a portable player. Once moved to the portable player, music will play for 30 days before it needs to be re-synched with your PC in order to renew the license. Please note that in order to utilize Ruckus-To-Go, you need a compatible, subscription-enabled, portable player. Check here for a current listing of supported players.

Ruckus-To-Go is available to any Cornell student, staff, faculty member, or alumnus for $20/term.

Why would I want a download service?

Because copyright infringement can be both a criminal and civil offense that results in substantial penalties. Cornell University is providing you with the opportunity to enjoy music and videos legally and as an alternative to copyright infringement that often occurs through the use of file share systems either on the Internet or the Cornell network. Not only do content owners aggressively pursue their rights through Digital Millennium Copyright Notices, settlement letters and even law suits, but because copyright infringement is a violation of university policy incorporated into the Code of Conduct, Cornell acts on those notices through the Office of Judicial Administration.

For Cornell's policy on the appropriate use of electronic communications, please see: Responsible Use of Electronic Communications.

Who is eligible?

All students, staff, faculty and alumni with a Cornell NetID.

What music is available on Ruckus?

Ruckus has more than 3 million songs in its collection. You can visit Ruckus.com to search by artist, album or track.

How much does Ruckus cost?

• Music Subscription: FREE to all Cornell students during the Fall, Spring, and Summer terms.
• Faculty, Staff and Alumni Music Subscription: $8.99 per month, billed on a term basis, for unlimited music downloads.
• Ruckus-To-Go: $20 per term for the ability to transfer downloaded content from a PC to a compatible mobile music device.
• Permanent Download/Burn or purchase: $.79-.99 per track on average, $9.99 per album on average.
• Detailed pricing information can be obtained by registering at Ruckus.com. Once you have a Ruckus account and are signed in, click on "My Account" at the top of the page for detailed pricing options.

How do I pay for services?

All fees for subscriptions and services are billed directly to the customer through a variety of payment methods. Go to Ruckus.com for more information.

How do I create a Ruckus account?

Visit Ruckus.com, select "Sign Up" at the top of the page and follow the steps. Please note that you'll need to enter your Cornell e-mail address using your NetID (e.g., NetID@cornell.edu). A Ruckus password and further instructions will be sent to your e-mail address. Once you have logged in and verified your account, you can begin using Ruckus.

Do I have to live on campus to get Ruckus?

If you live off-campus you will have access to Ruckus and be able to download music files. You will, however, have to be connected to the campus network to download movies or TV shows. Once downloaded to your computer, music and video downloads are fully functional from any location.

Can I put Ruckus music on my portable audio player?

If you are looking for portability via mp3 player, Ruckus offers compatibility with Ruckus to Go on PlaysForSure Subscription compliant players for download and subscription. Ruckus offers a list of such devices on compatible devices page. Apple iPods do not use the PlaysForSure Subscription standard so they will not work with Ruckus to Go.

Will Ruckus music play on my iPod?

No. Ruckus music files are not compatible with the Fairplay DRM (Digital Rights Management), the DRM used by iPods. DRM is the encryption software that legal download services use to secure the media files so they cannot be illegally shared.

Can I burn mix CDs of Ruckus music?

The music you download from Ruckus can not be burned. The license agreements Ruckus has with record labels prohibit burning songs to CDs since CDs can be easily copied and given to non-Ruckus users.

Ruckus has a partnership through Buy.com to offer burnable songs at 99 cents a track (or less). You can purchase burnable songs through the Ruckus page by clicking on the CD icon next to the track you are interested in. Keep in mind these are different files and must be downloaded separately than your Ruckus music.

Does Ruckus work on a Macintosh or Linux computer?

No. The Ruckus music and movie files utilize Microsoft DRM (Digital Rights Management System), therefore you will not be able to play them on a Mac or Linux system.The Ruckus player will only run on Windows-compatible computers. The Ruckus friends network is available if accessed with the Safari web browser.

What is the file format of the media I download from Ruckus?

Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Windows Media Video (WMV).

Does Ruckus allow users to share their favorites on Facebook?

Yes. Ruckus offers an interactive way for students to share their Ruckus experience with friends in the massive Facebook student community, and within their own Facebook groups, networks and friends. The app lets students share their favorites, see what their classmates are listening to and immediately download the music for free. Login to Facebook.