ANN ARBOR—In a sort of ” American Idol” meets ” Open Mic,” Block M Records presents ” New Music on the Block,” a campus-wide competition to select the most original musical piece and performance by a University of Michigan student or group.

From Sept. 5 to Sept. 15, U-M’s new recording label will be looking for compelling and inventive pieces of music. A panel of producers, composers, media personalities and select U-M faculty will review the recorded submissions.

The selected work will be recorded in the renovated studio at the U-M Duderstadt Center. A live public performance of the winning piece will be given in mid October at the center. Block M Records is exploring the possibility of making the recording available through iTunes Music Store.

Submission requirements:

• Entrants must be currently enrolled U-M students.
• Single composers/performers to groups up to 100 members.
• Music must be original and written by enrolled students.
• Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, September 15, 2006.

Block M Records promotes the vitality, diversity, and artistic excellence through recording, production, and dissemination of musical compositions and performances by U-M faculty, staff and students.

The label is a subsidiary of the Internet Publication Project” a campus-wide collaborative research program exploring the convergence of multiple technologies in support of the web-based publication of research.

For more information