Chris Thacker is the co-founder and CEO of Stage Water, a canned water brand built for the live music community. He is also a longtime tour manager for Dierks Bentley and has spent decades behind the scenes of the music industry leading teams, solving problems, and keeping major tours moving.

In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Chris Thacker shares how Stage Water launched, how the company became the official water of CMA Fest, and what most people do not understand about starting a beverage brand.

We talk about the real business behind canned water, beverage distribution, co-packing, funding a startup, raising capital, giving equity to investors, building a brand with purpose, and why Stage Water gives back to the creative community.

Chris also breaks down what he learned from years on the road with Dierks Bentley, how leadership changes when you are responsible for people, and why building something meaningful requires patience, risk, humility, and belief.

This conversation is for entrepreneurs, founders, music industry professionals, artists, managers, creators, and anyone trying to build a business that actually stands for something.

Watch more episodes of The Stephan Hogan Podcast for conversations on business, leadership, creativity, faith, ambition, failure, music, and the human stories behind success.verage Brand, Watch This

https://www.countrypolitannashville.com
https://www.studiobank.com/
https://stagewater.com/
https://www.simonsaysnashville.com/

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Filmed in Nashville, TN
Produced: Stephan Hogan
Mavericks Media Co. Production

At some point, the dream changes. Ben Montague started as a musician chasing songs, shows, and the artist life. Then he found himself driving through the night after gigs, windows down just to stay awake, so he could open his guitar shop the next morning.

That was the crossroads.

Today, Ben owns Carter Vintage Guitars and Norman’s Rare Guitars. But the real story is not about guitars. It is about being able to shift gears and follow a new dream. 

In this episode, Ben opens up about music, business, private equity, family pressure, acquiring Carter Vintage and Norman’s Rare Guitars, and the emotional cost of building something meaningful.

This one is for musicians, creatives, founders, business owners, guitar lovers, and anyone who knows they may be standing at a turning point. 

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Filmed in Nashville, TN
Produced: Stephan Hogan
Mavericks Media Co. Production

https://www.gofundme.com/f/stephanhoganpodcast

Stephan sits down with Mitchell Tenpenny for a real conversation about fatherhood, grief, losing a parent, anger, therapy, phones, social media, AI, fake validation, human connection, and why live music still matters in a world full of content.

Mitchell Tenpenny is known for songs like Drunk Me, Truth About You, At the End of a Bar, and his latest chapter as an artist, husband, and soon-to-be father.

Mitchell Tenpenny is a multi-platinum country artist, songwriter, and performer with one of the most recognizable voices in modern country music. But this conversation goes far beyond the songs.

Mitchell Tenpenny opens up about becoming a father, losing his dad, trying to be present, and the strange weight that comes with chasing something you love. He talks honestly about anxiety, performing live, protecting his voice, and the mental side of walking on stage when thousands of people are expecting you to deliver.

Stephan Hogan and Mitchell Tenpenny also talk about what happens when the dream starts working. The number one songs, the pressure to keep going, the expectations, the business, and the moment the thing you love can start to feel like something you have to keep alive.

At the center of the conversation is a question a lot of people eventually face:

What do you do when the thing you love starts to feel heavy?

Toward the end, Mitchell Tenpenny dives deeper into songwriting, Nashville, country music, why some writers get caught trying to impress other writers, and why the best songs are usually the ones that feel honest, simple, and human.

Subscribe to The Stephan Hogan Podcast for more conversations with artists, songwriters, music executives, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders shaping the future of music, business, and culture.

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Filmed in Nashville, TN
Produced: Stephan Hogan
Mavericks Media Co. Production

Kent Earls is one of the music executives behind the scenes helping shape the songs, songwriters, artists, and careers people are talking about in Nashville.

In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Kent Earls sits down with Stephan to talk about the business behind the hits, from his time as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville to becoming partner at Verse 2 Music, the publishing company built with Kane Brown in partnership with Sony Music Publishing.

We talk about Ella Langley, Joybeth Taylor, Verse 2 Music, Kane Brown, Sony Music Publishing Nashville, Nashville music publishing, songwriter development, artist development, creative partnerships, and how leverage is really built in the music business.

But this conversation is bigger than country music.

Kent shares what artists, songwriters, creatives, entrepreneurs, executives, and decision makers need to understand about trusting your gut, owning your value, choosing the right partners, building relationships, and creating long-term leverage before the deal ever happens.

This is an inside look at how high-level music executives think, how publishing companies bet on talent, and how careers are built behind the scenes in Nashville.

Topics covered: Kent Earls, Ella Langley, Joybeth Taylor, Verse 2 Music, Kane Brown, Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville, Nashville music business, music publishing, songwriter development, artist development, music executive, country music, creative entrepreneurship, business leverage, strategic partnerships, trusting your gut, and building value.

Subscribe to The Stephan Hogan Podcast for more conversations with artists, songwriters, music executives, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders shaping the future of music, business, and culture.

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Filmed in Nashville, TN
Produced: Stephan Hogan
Mavericks Media Co. Production

Jake Owen has lived a lot of life since “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.”

The songs. The tours. The success. The public highs. The private lows. The reinvention. And all the things people search for when they want to understand the man behind the music: Jake Owen songs, Jake Owen tour, Jake Owen music, Jake Owen age, Jake Owen married, and yes, even Barefoot Blue Jean Night lyrics.

But this conversation is about the part you do not always see.

It is about what happens when bitterness starts taking up space in your life. When success does not heal what you thought it would. When the music business gives you so much of what you prayed for, but you still have to decide what kind of man you are going to become.

In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Jake Owen talks about letting go, staying grounded, faith, fatherhood, fame, country music, and learning how to stop carrying things that only make life heavier.

From “Anywhere With You” and “Beachin’” to “Best Thing Since Backroads,” Jake has built the kind of career most artists dream about.

But 20 years after fame, the real story might not be the hits.

It might be the healing.

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Filmed in Nashville, TN

Produced: Stephan Hogan

Mavericks Media Co. Production

After a career at the summit of the music industry, most recently as the Global Head of Country Music at Apple, Michael Bryan reached a definitive conclusion: scaling without soul is a race to the bottom.

In this masterclass on creative discipline and longevity, Michael reveals the Southern Drift manifesto, a blueprint for leaders and creators who want to build empires that last 40 years, not 40 seconds.

If you care about ownership, taste, and protecting your upside in a world obsessed with extraction, this conversation is your field guide.

In this episode, we break down:

* Why Michael walked away from one of the most influential roles in music
* What Apple taught him about restraint, integrity, and the long game
* Why algorithms cannot replace taste, intuition, and human curation
* How artists and leaders can protect their creative leverage in a culture built for speed
* What it takes to build something meaningful, high trust, and built to last

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Filmed in Nashville, TN
Produced: Stephan Hogan
Mavericks Media Co. Production

The Truth About Music Royalties, Creator Funding, and Long-Term Careers | Alex Heiche

Alex Heiche sees the creative business from a rare vantage point.

As the founder of Sound Royalties, he works with songwriters, artists, producers, and creators at the intersection of money, ownership, pressure, and long-term career building.

Founded in 2014, Sound Royalties is the world’s leading specialty finance company for the global creative industries, providing funding solutions to music professionals, YouTube creators, and TV/Film professionals, without risking ownership of their work.

The company works with thousands of rightsholders across over 30 countries and growing, offering core products of royalty financing, tour financing, YouTube financing and, most recently, TV production financing.

Sound Royalties closed a record-breaking year in 2025, with $135 million in funded contracts distributed directly to creators. 

In this conversation, we talk about how creators can access funding without giving up ownership, why so many artists make short-term money decisions that carry long-term consequences, what separates hype from real career building, and how money, fear, ambition, and creativity all collide in the music business.

We also get into publishing deals, distribution, catalogs, leverage, streaming royalties, YouTube monetization, financial literacy for creatives, and why the best careers are usually built by people who keep going without losing belief in what they are making.

This is a real conversation about ownership, risk, faith, family, endurance, and the hidden financial side of the creative life. If you care about songwriting, music publishing, royalty advances, creator funding, intellectual property, YouTube monetization, Nashville, artist development, financial freedom for creatives, and building something that lasts, this one is for you.

#AlexHeiche #SoundRoyalties #MusicPublishing #Royalties #Songwriting #MusicBusiness #Nashville #ArtistDevelopment #YouTubeMonetization #IntellectualProperty

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Filmed in Nashville, TN
Produced: Stephan Hogan
Mavericks Media Co. Production

Rusty Gaston sees the music business from a rare vantage point.

In this conversation, we talk about what really makes songs connect, why the best careers are built on more than hype, and what happens when somebody who came from the independent world steps into one of the most powerful roles in Nashville publishing.

This is a real conversation about the heart behind the business. If you care about songwriting, country music, Nashville, publishing, artist careers, intellectual property, music business strategy, the creative process, and the part of the music business most people never get to see, this one is for you.

#RustyGaston #SonyMusicPublishing #SonyMusicPublishingNashville #Songwriting #MusicPublishing #Nashville #CountryMusic #MusicBusiness #HitSongs #songwriters 

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Filmed in Nashville, TN
Produced: Stephan Hogan
Mavericks Media Co. Production

James Shotwell, founder of Country Minute, breaks down how songs actually go viral in today’s music industry, what artists and labels are really paying for, and how influencer marketing is shaping country music.

Country Minute is one of the fastest-growing platforms in country music, reaching millions of fans every month through TikTok, Instagram, and short-form content that drives music discovery.

James explains:
◼️How songs go viral on TikTok, Instagram, and streaming platforms
◼️The real role of influencers in music marketing and promotion
◼️How record labels use content to break artists in 2026
◼️Why attention is the most valuable currency in the music business
◼️How to grow an audience and build a platform from zero

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Filmed in Nashville, TN
Produced: Stephan Hogan
Mavericks Media Co. Production

In this episode of The Stephan Hogan Podcast, Stephan Hogan sits down with one of the most respected musicians in the Nashville music industry, Charlie Worsham.

Charlie is a singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist whose career spans bluegrass, country, and Americana. He made his Grand Ole Opry debut at just 12 years old and has since become widely known in Nashville as a true musician’s musician. 

His work appears on records with artists including Luke Combs, Dierks Bentley, Vince Gill, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves, Riley Green, Ernest, and Lainey Wilson, and he was named 2024 CMA Musician of the Year and a two-time ACM Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year. 

Charlie also recently played acoustic guitar and mandolin on Ella Langley’s new record, including the song “Choosin’ Texas.” 

But beyond the awards and studio credits, this conversation reveals the deeper story behind the musician.

Charlie opens up about mentorship, faith, fatherhood, and what it means to build a meaningful life in music while staying grounded as a husband and dad. From lessons learned from Vince Gill and Dierks Bentley, to navigating the Nashville music industry after spending 12 years signed to Warner Music Nashville, Charlie shares the wisdom that comes from playing the long game.

Stephan and Charlie discuss:

• growing up playing bluegrass and making his Grand Ole Opry debut as a kid
• the mentors who shaped his career and character
• balancing music, family life, and fatherhood
• the philosophy of playing fewer notes and making better music
• leaving a major label to become an independent artist

Charlie also shares details about his upcoming music, including his new single “They Never Do,” releasing March 20 and featuring Lainey Wilson. The song will also appear as the closing track in the upcoming Netflix documentary on Lainey Wilson.

In addition to releasing new music independently, Charlie will also be playing guitar with Vince Gill this year, continuing a musical friendship and mentorship that has shaped his career.

This episode is a thoughtful conversation about craft, character, faith, family, and the long road of building a life in music.

https://www.charlieworsham.com/
https://www.instagram.com/charlieworsham

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Filmed in Nashville, TN
Produced: Stephan Hogan
Mavericks Media Co. Production

Wardrobe provided by https://www.simonsaysnashville.com/