Having marketed, mentored and developed over two thousand artists and projects within the highest levels of the music industry, R Wayne Martin is the prolific strategic executive behind the careers of recording artists and music producers signed to his boutique management firm, mthree. And as the host of the Small Plates Podcast (with subscribers in nearly 40 countries), he is the artist development authority that guides independent artists and their teams through mission critical challenges facing todays professional musicians (and musicians as entrepreneurs). Wayne’s experience and expertise was honed as an artist development leader in multiple key roles inside major and independent labels (Warner Bros, Sony Music, Knitting Factory & others) and as an executive managing intellectual property licensing for music publishers and music industry organizations (The Harry Fox Agency / National Music Publishers Association).  Martin often not only shares his voice with music entrepreneurs on college campuses such as Harvard Law School, New York University, and Berklee School of Music, but as a music career development expert in the pages of Billboard, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and others.  In addition to multiple conference, podcast, and university speaking engagements, in 2026 Martin will continue to prepare the debut of a financial literacy program designed specifically for American musicians.

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 R. WAYNE MARTIN FULL BIOGRAPHY:

Adding more than 40 years of experience as an executive at both major and indie labels, publishing companies and running his own artist and producer management firm, R. Wayne Martin brings a wide-ranging skill set to the strategy, management, and coaching of recording artists, producers, and music businesses.

While still an undergraduate at his hometown Nashville’s Belmont University, Martin learned every facet of the record business on the city’s famed Music Row, working at both Warner Bros. and CBS Records as it morphed into Sony BMG, breaking major artists on a global basis. Stints in the indie world at Shanachie Entertainment and the Knitting Factory family of labels followed before Wayne was recruited by the Harry Fox Agency, where he gained an expertise in publishing and licensing. 

Now based in Palm Springs, he launched his own boutique management firm, Martin Artist Management, in 2014, initially for artists and producers before expanding to consult labels, publishers, artists and even other managers. Rebranding the company mthree: martin music management in 2019 to reflect the new approach, Wayne also produces the critically acclaimed Small Plates podcast aimed at aspiring musicians everywhere. He has spoken to music students at universities around the country, becoming the first non-attorney artist manager to speak on music mindset at Harvard Law School.

As a pioneer in the “musician mindset movement,” Martin is a vocal proponent of the goal of encouraging the “artist as entrepreneur,” offering a bespoke path for creatives to combine art with commerce in a practical, hands-on way. With more independent artists unaffiliated with any major label proliferate, the traditional paths to success – touring, radio promotion, publicity, marketing -- have become more varied and complicated in the digital world of social media, streaming and Zoom calls. 

“The exciting part of it is there is incredible autonomy for an artist that never existed before,” explained Martin. “These things all would have been decided for them back then by their record company.”

Martin has always relished his role in helping artists succeed and now looks to pass that “institutional knowledge” on to the next generation of not just musicians, but executives also, incorporating the increasingly sophisticated analytics and data available to make those decisions.

“You don’t need 100,000 followers to be successful,” he insisted. “You can carve out a career with 1,000 dedicated fans who will pay you every month.”

“I look to empower artists without them having to move to a so-called ‘music city,’” said Martin, adding “If we can do that for them, they are not alone.”

“My artist development work, among others things is, a place that takes you from the university, the conservatory or just the garage and into the real world,” stated Martin. “My mentoriships help pivot from failure in real-time... to retrofit it into a learning moment.”

The bottom line for Martin is teaching musicians to take ownership of their economic situation, guiding them to self-sufficiency in the process... being able to make a living with their music.

“I’ve dedicated my career to being an advocate for creative people,” added Wayne.

-Roy Trakin January 2026