Napster "freedom" at Northeastern University: a distanced ethnography
Abstract
This article offers a critical first hand account, from an academic at Northeastern University after Napster's creator Sean Fanniong left the campus in 1999. Reflecting on the impact of Fanning on the campus, drawing on the history of community computer innovation in Boston as a means of activism, the article identifies through Marx, the way monopoly capitalism destroyed Napster's capacity for free music culture. The impact of Intellectual Property law in shutting down digital innovations such as Napster, is considered for the impact it had on the ideals of the liberal university in the United States.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Copyright and Intellectual Property
Music History and Culture
Intellectual Property Rights and Media
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Fast Capitalism
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 1
- Publication date
- 13 January 2026
- Language
- EN