June 5, 2002 — The Coca-Cola New Music Award has returned to the American Music Awards to provide another unsigned artist a chance at stardom.

Coca-Cola, the American Music Awards, Dick Clark Communications, and CMJ call for entries to the second annual "The American Music Awards Presents the Coca-Cola New Music Award" competition. The nationwide search for the best unsigned artist or band in America includes playoff performances in New York and Los Angeles and an opportunity to perform live on the 30th Annual American Music Awards telecast in early January on ABC-TV.

To enter the Coca-Cola New Music Award competition, individual artists and bands are asked to submit three original songs and written lyrics, along with a biography and photo. Submissions may be sent either digitally to www.newmusicaward.com or by mail on audio cassette or CD. Online entries will be accepted until July 24 and mail-in entries through July 31. All mail-in entries should be sent to: "The American Music Awards Presents The Coca-Cola New Music Award" Competition, c/o CMJ, 151 West 25th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10001.

CMJ editors and writers will review all of the entries and choose the top fifty artists/bands. Dick Clark and CMJ founder and CEO Robert Haber will then choose ten semi-finalists to perform live in a playoff event at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City on November 1. A panel of judges will be in NYC to select three finalists. These finalists will compete in a final playoff show down in Los Angeles, just days prior to the AMA telecast. The winner will perform live on the 30th Annual American Music Awards in early January 2003.

Last year's Coca-Cola New Music Award winner was Richmond, Virginia-based Carbon Leaf. After their performance on the American Music Awards their CD sales skyrocketed and they are talking with record labels about their recent album.