When Josh Mayes was given the chance to go backstage at last semester’s Aerosmith concert, he had no idea of the good fortune that would follow.

As it turned out, Mayes, sophomore in horticulture, would approach an employee of Atlantic Records, home of opening act The Cult, about writing for Rolling Stone.

The employee then asked Mayes if he would rather work for her.

He is now known as the Atlantic Records Iowa State college marketing representative.

Atlantic isn’t the only record label using an ISU student to help promote its artists and label. Adam Greenfield, sophomore in English, holds a similar position with Chicago-based Aware Records, home of Train, Five For Fighting and John Mayer, among others.

Mayes and Greenfield’s jobs differ from each other in some aspects, but on the whole their jobs are basically to promote the label and its musicians.

“Pretty much my job is to get these artists’ names out to the public,” Mayes says. “Around Iowa State, around the campus and to local record stores and stuff like that.”

Getting the artists’ names out can mean a variety of different tasks.

For Mayes it means getting promotional CDs, stickers and posters to local and college radio and press as well as promotion among students.

Aware Records is a smaller label than Atlantic, so while Greenfield handles some of the same tasks, he also helps in ways more directly related to the bands.

“The big things is when bands come into town,” Greenfield explains. “They will ask if I can do the merchandising at the show.”

Working shows gives Greenfield the opportunity to meet with the musicians but so far he has found that not many of the label’s acts are making the trip to central Iowa.

“I’m doing my best to get as much in Des Moines and Ames as possible; they are all going to Iowa City and then down to Kansas or up to Minnesota, Chicago, Omaha, but nothing in the middle,” Greenfield says.

College reps like Greenfield and Mayes are not paid, so meeting the musicians they promote is one of the biggest perks of the job.

This Sunday Mayes will be traveling to Peoria, Illinois to see Sugar Ray, and on March 28th Mayes will be in Kansas City with meet and greet passes for Kid Rock.

But it isn’t Rock that Mayes is excited about.

“I’m hoping to get backstage and maybe he’ll have his girlfriend Ms. Anderson with him,” Mayes says with a smile.

Programs like the ones run by Atlantic and Aware are important tools for the labels.

Both labels have college reps spread out across the country but numbers are limited in Iowa. According to Paula Abdalas, associate director of college marketing for Atlantic Records, Mayes is the only college representative in Iowa.

Mark Cunningham, general manager at Aware, says that his label employs two representatives in Iowa; the other is stationed in Iowa City.

No matter how many reps there are, they play an essential role for the label.

“Everything our reps do benefits our company because if they weren’t doing it then it wouldn’t get done,” Cunningham says.

“They are invaluable to a small company like ours.”

“A college marketing program is very valuable to a label,” Abdalas says. “Through it, we’re able to introduce our artists to a really important audience and hopefully make fans in the process.”

And for music enthusiasts like Greenfield and Mayes, being a college representative provides the ultimate gratification: being involved with the music they love.

“It’s just exposing people to new music and exposing people to something I love and have a passion for, that’s the biggest benefit,” Mayes says.

“The thing that I really like the most is just being involved with music,” Greenfield adds.

“That was my main goal. I just want to be involved with music no matter what it is.”