MusicCity, once known for its far-reaching Open Nap network and client, has crossed over to the proprietary world with Morpheus, its new downloadable file-sharing client.

Morpheus looks and functions like KaZaA, and theres a reason. The makers of the Europe-based KaZaA have licensed its proprietary peer-to-peer technology to the Nashville-based Music City. Hardcore file sharers remember that Music City's Open Nap servers numbered in the dozens and brokered millions of files (it was a default server for WinMX).

Unlike Open Nap or Gnutella protocols, the KaZaA technology can easily accommodate throngs of new users. It's scalable because it designates the more powerful computers on its network as SuperNodes. These "alpha-PCs" serve as search portals for the rest of the community. The user can check off a box in preferences if they don't want to act as a SuperNode. This may be beneficial to some because word on the street is that the KaZaA client can be a drain on system resources. So far, we haven't felt the drain.

Of course, the Morpheus interface allows sorting by Title, Artist, Media Type, Category, Download Time, Size, etc. - an integral part of searching for say, the shortest download (many results' download times are in hours!). Unfortunately, the Windows Explorer-type interface (borrowed from Microsoft's Internet Explorer incidentally) is in need of constant adjusting. In other words, we needed to drag the download time column into sight every time we searched for a new item.

Still, fast and hearty results speak volumes and with over forty thousand users, it's easy to find almost anything. Highlighting the interface is the "My Shared Folder" tab. It breaks down all your files by type so it's easy to view or play images, music or video in the built-in Theater media player. Only problem is that some files have a difficult time playing in the theater.

Many file sharing purists shrug at the notion of the new Music City. Some users have experienced bugginess in the client; others don't appreciate the drain on system resources. Still others hope that Morpheus doesn't follow KaZaA's lead when the latter morphs into a subscription service sometime this summer (also, don't forget the application's banner ads). Regardless of what happens, KaZaA and Morpheus are top-tier destinations for those looking for an alternative to the sickly Napster network.