The state’s six universities can now begin to award music scholarships based on a settlement from an antitrust lawsuit.

Kansas Attorney General Stephen Six announced Tuesday the creation of the Songs of Kansas Scholarship program, a partnership with the Kansas Board of Regents.

The program will award about $45,000 in scholarships for 2008-2009; each state university can award three scholarships of about $2,500 each to in-state students who major in music.

The regents will advertise the scholarships through the universities’ music departments. The deadline for applications will be May 1, and recipients will be notified by June 1.

Ashley Anstaett, a Six spokeswoman, said the money comes from a 2005 settlement that Sony Music Entertainment Inc. reached with 41 states and three U.S. territories in a 2000 antitrust lawsuit. The states’ allegations included that Sony committed price fixing.