Waylon Barnes is an American music executive based in Los Angeles, California. He is the founder and chief executive officer of C2 Management. Barnes founded C2 Management, a music marketing company that focuses on artist development and marketing services for independent and mainstream artists, as well as record labels and management companies. Through his work at C2 Management, Barnes has been involved in campaigns for Grammy Award–winning musicians and Billboard-charting artists. He continues to serve as the company’s chief executive officer and managing partner. Prior to founding C2 Management, Barnes operated a Los Angeles–based music publishing house, where he oversaw songwriting catalogs and releases that achieved multi-platinum certifications and No. 1 positions on the Billboard charts. He sold the publishing company in 2021. Barnes is a member of the Forbes Council, where he publishes articles on the music industry, marketing, and artist-focused business models. Barnes was born and raised in Santa Paula, California. He earned a degree in International Relations from San Francisco State University. During his time at university, he held leadership roles within the national fraternity Phi Kappa Tau.