TRIVIAL PURSUIT

So you think you know a lot of pop music minutiae? You have a chance to put that to the test--literally.

Rhino Records is organizing the first-ever national music trivia showdown, with an official “Ultimate Music Geek” to be crowned on April 27 via an intensive test of about 300 questions covering all realms of music (except classical), designed by Rhino staffers and other music specialists. Top prize is an international “Musical History Tour” for two, covering important music sites, with two runners-up getting a custom jukebox with 100 Rhino CDs of their choice.

Co-sponsored by Tower Records, Rolling Stone and L.A. Cellular, the Rhino Musical Aptitude Test (RMAT) will be conducted simultaneously at Tower’s Sunset Strip and Manhattan stores, each of which will be decorated for the occasion as classrooms, and on the Internet. Entries to fill the in-store desks will start about six weeks before the event.

David Dorn, Rhino senior vice president of media relations, developed the idea as a promotion for the label, which specializes in reissues and compilations and is known for an irreverent spirit.

“This is definitely Rhino and will have a Rhino sense of humor,” he says. “But people will really have to be prepared for questions not just about rock and soul, but world music, be-bop, country, rap, novelty, heavy metal--a little bit of everything.”

Since the Internet contestants will be working unsupervised at home, the test is open-book. But Dorn notes that there will be a two-hour time limit and that the more time spent looking up facts, the less time there is to actually write answers before the proctor says, “Pencils down.”