Portable music players have launched the largest invasion of the NIU campus since the Asian lady beetles. As students reap the benefits of the portable music players, local music stores may lose business.

Mark Cerny, owner of Record Revolution, 817 W. Lincoln Highway, said the iPod is a great invention, but one that could cost him sales.

“It’s hard to tell, but I believe it has caused me to lose business since it has become more of a college staple to download music from a computer and into an iPod,” Cerny said. “For each iPod sold, I probably lose one customer.”

According to published reports, Apple sold 8.2 million iPods in 2004. In 2003, Apple launched iTunes, an online music store, and since has sold more than 230 million digital music downloads with a projection of 500 million for 2005.

Celine Zeiger, a freshman textiles, apparel and merchandising major, said she was happy when she found an iPod under her Christmas tree.

“I had an MP3 player before and it just didn’t hold enough music,” Zeiger said. “I can hold about 2,000 songs with the iPod I have now.”

Zeiger said she primarily transfers songs from CDs she already owns to her iPod rather than downloading them from an online music store.

Zeiger also said the design of the iPod makes it easier for her to carry when she works out.

Nate Hall, a senior electrical engineering major, said the iPod is good for the consumer, but feels changes will need to be made for it to surpass CD players.

“It’s more likely to take over CDs once people stop downloading from peer to peer sites,” Hall said. “However, I don’t know if that is going to happen.”

David Arias, lab technician for Lincoln Hall, said CDs are a languishing format.

“CDs as a format have been dying for years – the Recording Industry Association of America’s attempt to prevent piracy and people from copying CDs has left everyone with a bad taste in their mouths,” Arias said. “CDs have the advantage of being everywhere right now, but that advantage is going to disappear with the limitations the industry is building into CDs now.”

Cerny said he estimates in the next three to five years the main delivery source for music will be from downloading.

“Ultimately, it may affect whether we can continue business as we have for the past 30 years,” he said.

Arias sees the advantage shifting from CDs to MP3 players.

“MP3 players are now smaller than CD players, they last longer and have the multiple music stores that exist online like iTunes Music Store, Napster, Real Rhapsody, MusicMatch and the MSN Music Store,” Arias said. “They also have the ability to listen to audiobooks without having to swap 20 CDs or tapes.”

The availability of affordable, legal music downloading services has not stemmed illegal music downloading. According to published reports, on Jan. 24, the Recording Industry Association of America sued 717 illegal file sharers who were using university and college networks nationwide to illegally download music from peer-to-peer services such as KaZaa, eDonkey and Limewire.

“Legitimate music services grow in popularity with more and more music being purchased every day. But, the great music created by hard working writers, artists and technicians continues to be stolen at an alarming rate through illegitimate peer-to-peer services on the Internet,” said RIAA General Counsel Steven Marks on the organization’s Web site.

Arias questions whether digital music is good for the music industry, but said it is good for consumers.

“Digital Music is definitely great for us–the consumers – because it gives us choice and freedom back,” he said.

Arias did stress it’s important for students to find out the type of battery used by each player, which music files they are able to play and whether they are compatible with PC’s, Mac’s or both before making a purchase.