Music City does not provide residents its product for free - legally, that is.

Vanderbilt students received 118 notices of Digital Millennium Copyright Act violations last month.

"It appears that the RIAA is looking closely at Vanderbilt, based on the numbers," said Bridget Golden, assistant director of the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity. "We think that a closer microscope is being placed on Vanderbilt because of our position in Music City."

Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs Mike Schoenfeld said he could not confirm whether there are more students downloading illegally here than at other universities but said Vanderbilt's location makes this an important issue.

"Nashville's place as a center of the music industry and home to thousands of songwriters means that Vanderbilt will get closer scrutiny than schools in other cities," Schoenfeld said. "The impact of illegal file-sharing on the music industry can be seen literally across the street from the campus."

According to Cary Sherman, president of the Recording Industry Association of America, the simple excuse of not knowing the repercussions of illegal downloading will no longer excuse student actions.

"Today, virtually no one, particularly technology savvy students, can claim not to know that the online sharing of copyrighted music, movies, software and other works is illegal," Sherman said in a press release.

But illegal downloading has not stopped, nor has it been effectively slowed.

About 25 students here have received disciplinary sanctions from the Office of Student Conduct since the beginning of the school year, though none have been sued by the RIAA, Golden said.

And the RIAA sued several Vanderbilt students last spring in an effort to end illegal file sharing.

"We know that Vanderbilt students are smart enough to realize that downloading copyrighted material without paying for it is theft," Schoenfeld said. "However, like most crimes that occur in broad daylight, students (continue to do so) because they don't believe they will be caught."

Legal obligations make it necessary for the university to report names to the RIAA when the association subpoenas Vanderbilt for student names, Golden said.

The minimum RIAA fine is $750 per illegal download, but students can settle these cases with a smaller lump fee. The Vanderbilt students all chose to settle for a sum of $3000.

The university does not advise students on whether to accept or defer the settlement, said Daniel Swinton, interim director of the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity.

Sophomore Maggie Johnson said she thinks the fines are steep but necessary.

"I think the fines are really high but they sort of have to be," she said. "People download illegally all the time and don't even think about it, so I think the fines are to make an example out of people."