In a section titled "Digital Skool", www.musicdish.com has just published its self-proclaimed "Definitive Guide to Using Napster." The guide is a resource for the digitally dense and covers such key points as "file sharing concepts," and "is it legal to use Napster?"

While many professionals in the Internet industry are waiting for the Justice Department to issue a temporary injunction against music file-sharing company Napster, a user's guide might seem a bit out of place. Not so, says MusicDish Technology Writer, Russel Kibbee, "Digital file sharing is a reality, not just a fad. It's our responsibility as a publisher to increase awareness."

MusicDish Writer, Michele Wilson-Morris, echoed her colleague, "the popularity of Napster is overwhelming, and we feel that if people are going to use it, then this is how you do it. We're trying to get people to understand both sides of the picture, because Napster is a very popular product."

Digital downloads of music files have reached a breaking point. According to Jupiter Communications latest market research being presented now at the annual Online Music Forum the US Online Music Market is expected to reach $5.4 billion in 2005.

Jupiter Analyst, Aram Sinnreich believes that file sharing has actually increased music sales, and that informing buyers of music selection is a fantastic marketing tool, "record labels and intellectual property owners have demonized various forms of online music sharing, even as it has gained enormous traction among consumers. The truth is that a better-informed user will purchase more music products online and off."

While Wilson-Morris strongly believes in the popularity of Napster's product, she agrees that it's survival is still in question, "Whatever happens, I believe it will be tweaked by some guidelines and restrictions. Napster will be forced to take a little more responsibility in the files they're sharing."

However, file sharing is probably here to stay, she adds. "Even if Napster disappears, there are hundreds of companies out there that will do the same thing but tweak it to make it legal. File sharing just needs to be done in a manner that's a little safer."