For 25 years, since 1983, high-school musicians in hundreds of bands in Maine took part in Reindeer Records’ Rock-Off competition. After pulling the plug on that event, Reindeer has come up with a new challenge, called The Off-Ramp, described as The Rock-Off meets “The Apprentice.”

“We’ve taken the better elements from our 25 years of producing experience and incorporated them with elements of a reality TV show,” said executive producer Louis Philippe.

Rather than a battle of the bands, this will be a marathon six-month contest that will challenge the top 12 bands with five music industry tasks: songwriting, the recording studio experience, marketing, live event production and music video production.

Off-Ramp is open to all original high-school bands in Maine. Audition showcases will be held on Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center.

The sign-up deadline is Friday, Oct. 22. For a registration packet, contact Reindeer at 857-9002 or e-mail [email protected].

Throughout the competition, all 12 bands will gain multimedia exposure as friends, fans and people in the music industry follow their progress via online polls, broadcast updates and live shows.

“Just as we did with The Rock-Off, The Off-Ramp will present even more and far-reaching facets of educational and career opportunities, artist development, networking, industry and media exposure, marketing and promotion, even making money,” Philippe said.

The final showdown will be in May when the winning band will be awarded $1,000 per bandmember.

As much as fun and as beneficial for the 12 participating bands as The Off-Ramp will be, it will also raise funds and awareness for Reindeer’s Alternative Music Program (RAMP). The goal for RAMP is to develop a 45-hour curriculum to be presented through Maine’s Alternative Education programs. The youth-empowering-youth course would focus on the same five challenges competing bands will face, integrated with Maine Learning Results standards so that Alt Ed students can learn about the music industry and earn academic credit.

To produce a long-lasting curriculum, Reindeer must raise an estimated $145,000 for administrative costs, manpower, equipment and training, critical research and development, and marketing. The 12 bands that make it to The Off-Ramp will be recognized as musical partners in Reindeer’s effort to create that curriculum.