Music-lovers looking to find a legal and cheap way to download their favorite tunes, look no further.

The solution is the Furthur Network, the first and only non-commercial, peer-to-peer network of legal live music, recorded by fans for fans.

In other words, the service features no advertisements or pop-ups. The code for the program is freely available, and is administrated entirely by volunteers. There is no central server, and the media available to download is shared by other users in the same way as programs like Kazaa.

And most importantly, the Furthur Network is 100 percent legal and free.

"FurthurNet is all about dedicated fans that want to share music," said Nick Relation, one of the many users of the service who volunteers his free time to assist in its general administration.

"There's a big community aspect that brings people with similar musical interests together," he added.

Users searching for music can access a drop-box of over eight hundred bands. Every one of them authorizes open taping of their concerts, and allows fans to trade those recordings freely.

When finding a show to download, users with high-speed broadband or DSL connections can just "set it and forget it" and in a matter of time have what they want.

While the service was started by jam band lovers and features many bands such as the Grateful Dead, Phish, Widespread Panic and the Dave Matthews Band, the selection is certainly not limited to that genre.

A range of artists, including the Flaming Lips, Queens of the Stone Age, Modest Mouse and The Roots are also available.

Based out of Burlington, Vt., Relation works in information technology at Burton Snowboards.

His favorite shows to download are those of Phish, moe. and the String Cheese Incident, but he stresses the importance of using FurthurNet to discover new music.

"It's a great way for unheard bands to get their music out there for people to hear," he said.

The service could also be a welcome alternative to students with a lot of bandwidth but increasing restraints being placed on it.

In a recent email message to the whole student body, Executive Vice President and Provost Rodney Erickson cautioned Penn Staters using the school's network connection against "unauthorized copying of copyrighted material."

Recording Industry Association of America president Cary Sherman editorialized his view on illegal filesharing in a recent issue of USA Today, calling it the virtual equivalent of shoplifting.

Relation believes FurthurNet is a solution to the continuing legal wrangling over the issue.

"We want to show the industry that they don't have to be negative with sharing music online," he said.

Students appear equally optimistic. "It sounds like a great alternative, what with all kinds of people getting sued now," said Ben McCambridge (senior-film).

The Furthur Network is available for free download at www.furthurnet.com.

Jenny Snyder (senior-economics) is opposed to the illegal sharing of files, but would use something like FurthurNet.

"If it was free and legal I'd do it," she said. "I don't like ripping people off."

"[FurthurNet] is a cheap way for them to promote artists. And ultimately, the more and more people who use it, the faster the downloads will be."