Casually playing an instrument in your dorm room could potentially land you a record contract with a major label and a shot at stardom.

MtvU, a television network just for college students, and Drive-Thru Records are teaming up to give a band or solo artist an opportunity to get their music heard. The third annual Best Music on Campus Contest is well under way, but is still looking for more talented artists.

College bands and solo artists who are interested in the contest have until March 13 to submit three original songs in MP3 format, along with the lyrics and photos, to MtvU.com.

The winner will receive a record deal with Drive-Thru Records and a music video premiere on mtvU and mtvU Uber, student-produced streaming video on the mtvU Web site.

Drive-Thru Records was created in 1996 and is run by siblings Richard and Stefanie Reines. They have signed artists such as Dashboard Confessional, New Found Glory, Something Corporate, Senses Fail and, more recently, The Early November, Steel Train and Halifax.

“In our 10-year history, we’ve signed many college bands, helping them launch their careers and play to sold-out venues around the world,” said Richard Reines, co-president of Drive-Thru Records.

“We know there are great bands on college campuses waiting to be discovered and we are excited to work with mtvU to give someone that chance.”

Nathan Rippke, sophomore in advertising and member of local bands 38th Parallel and Sons of the Republic, said the contest was something he would definitely want to enter.

“That sounds like a really cool thing,” Rippke said. “It’d be cool if somebody from Iowa State got into it.”

Jeff Barton, another member of 38th Parallel, said it’s always encouraging when opportunities like this are available to bands in Iowa.

“There’s a lot of great talent in this area,” Barton said.

In addition to the Best Music on Campus Contest this year entrants will be able to customize their own music pages on MtvU.com with songs, videos, bios, photos, play lists and more.

“The new mtvU online music hub brings added visibility to this year’s contest and will offer all [Best Music on Campus] artists even greater national exposure and opportunities to be discovered,” said Stephen Friedman, general manager of mtvU.

The top 50 quarterfinalists will be selected by mtvU and Drive-Thru Records, and on March 27 the voting will be open to the public.

College students and other music fans will be able to listen to and rate the bands on MtvU.com. The results of the student voting will play a large part in the decision of who will be the winner of the contest.

The group of bands will be cut in half to 25 bands in early April, and then reduced to just five finalists the week of April 17.

At this time, students will also be able to vote using Boost Mobile phones.

MtvU, Drive-Thru Records and a panel of industry judges will pick the winner by the end of April. The winner’s video will appear on mtvU and mtvU Uber in the fall.

“College campuses are the breeding ground for incredible new music and with this contest, students will launch the career of the best new college band,” Friedman said.

Last year’s contest was a huge success, with 250 entries and 2.2 million votes cast.

The winner was All Envy Aside from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Since the win, the band has received a development deal with a major record label and their first video, for the song “Burning Again,” debuted on mtvU.

To be eligible for the competition, a solo artist must be 18 years old, a legal U.S. resident and enrolled at a college or university that is a carrier of mtvU.

Bands must have at least one member who fulfills those requirements. It’s also mandatory that artists or bands are amateur, without a record deal at the time of entry or at any time during the contest.

Shaun Liboon, member of Sons of the Republic, said if the band was to win a competition such as this, he would acknowledge the success as a very temporary thing, but would definitely enjoy it.

“We would buy very, very expensive clothes, drink Cristal and buy very, very shiny guitars,” he said.