Ever wondered what the climb was like for some of the most influential figures in the music industry? How did they get there? And where did they come from?
Come with us as these talented and often relentless individuals weave us through their journeys from garages and bars to arenas and stadiums. and we gotta tell you.... some of these stories are kind of crazy!
Hosted by music, business, and technology veterans Wendy Hope, Drew Russell, and Mike Slade, Road to the Arena is an ongoing series from Triad Music. Our goal is to create cutting edge technology designed to eliminate the mystery surrounding money in the music industry. Hopefully these stories will pique your interest. visit triadmusic.com to learn more.
Born and raised in America's heartland, Blue Rapids, KS, Gabe's music reflects the down-to-earth charm and genuine warmth of small town living. From energetic anthems to heartfelt ballads, his songs are packed with clever rhymes and a deep love for the country lifestyle. With over 10 years of experience as an entertainer in Nashville, TN and across the United States, Gabe brings a wealth of talent and passion to every performance. From the rolling plains of Kansas to the bright lights of the stage, Walsh's music tells a story that is as authentic as it is compelling.
Road to the Arena is an ongoing series from Triad Music. Our goal is to create cutting edge music technology designed to eliminate the mystery surrounding money in the music industry. Hopefully these stories will pique your interest. Visit www.triadmusic.com to learn more.
9 Jan 2025
11 - CJ Solar
They said, move to Nashville, write some hits, and the rest will follow. For CJ Solar, writing Jameson Rodgers’ "Some Girls" and Morgan Wallen's breakout hit "Up Down" featuring Florida Georgia Line set the bar extremely high. Nashville changed the “rules” right when CJ was breaking as a writer, but that hasn’t stopped this Southern Rocker from making his own rules and turning every head on the way.
When not out touring the country headlining his own shows and opening for such artists as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Jr and Gary Allan, he continues to write and record at the highest level, which is why you see him on many artists to watch lists. More importantly, CJ is a student of the game and an exceptional music mind. He shares his wide array of music insights in this episode.
Road to the Arena is an ongoing series from Triad Music. Our goal is to create cutting edge music technology designed to eliminate the mystery surrounding money in the music industry. Hopefully these stories will pique your interest. Visit www.triadmusic.com to learn more.
18 Oct 2024
10 - Halle Kearns
Halle Kearns, a rising star, house boat dweller, and native of Columbia, MO, has been making a significant impact in the country music scene since her debut in 2020. She has amassed a following including over 11 million Tik Tok views, 23 million global streams, and 82,000 Instagram followers. Halle’s music has been featured on Spotify’s Hot Country, New Boots, and Wild Country playlists, and she has also been featured by CMT.
Kearns' success can be attributed to her honest songwriting, captivating performances, and genuine connection with her fans.
Halle is just beginning to tap into her immense career potential. Her latest release, 'Quarter Life Crisis,' begins to reveal the next chapter in Kearns' story, and sets the tone for a new wave of upcoming releases set for 2024 and beyond. Catch Halle on tour with Mason Ramsey this year!
Road to the Arena is an ongoing series from Triad Music. Our goal is to create cutting edge music technology designed to eliminate the mystery surrounding money in the music industry. Hopefully these stories will pique your interest. Visit www.triadmusic.com to learn more.
13 Sept 2024
09 - Live Nation. Too Big to Fail
This episode discusses the current affairs of the music industry, most notably Live Nation's stranglehold on the entire touring industry. From venues to ticketing to the bus company and even the managers, Live Nation's 350+ companies own every side of the most lucrative part of the industry. Mike Slade's company built the first Ticketmaster website, and worked very closely with the founder of the company. Nobody knows more intimately how powerful the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation is than Mike. Listen along as Mike, Wendy, and Drew talk the music business.
Road to the Arena is an ongoing series from Triad Music. Our goal is to create cutting edge music technology designed to eliminate the mystery surrounding money in the music industry. Hopefully these stories will pique your interest. Visit www.triadmusic.com to learn more.
31 Jul 2024
08 - Daniel Borge
Daniel Borge is known in Norway for doing what is considered to be almost impossible as an independent Norwegian artist. He has been building a name in Nashville, among well known musicians and songwriters in the American country music industry.
The year 2019 marked the beginning of the musical career for the Norwegian country artist. After a Nashville visit, Daniel found himself checked into his flight at the airport, set to go back home to Norway. However, a storm over New York made the return impossible and his return flight got cancelled. Frustrated, Daniel found himself in downtown Nashville (Broadway) with his suitcases, backpacks and no hotel or flight back to his home. As faith would have it, his friend Kinsey Rose invited him on stage and the rest is history. Daniel is currently working with producer Brad Hill (Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne, Kameron Marlowe), and is taking Nashville by storm.
18 Jun 2024
07 - Michael McCrae
Michael McCrae, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter originally from Wilmington, NC, discovered his passion for music during his early teens. The catalyst was hearing a fellow student sing a Stevie Wonder song in chorus class, sparking a lifelong dedication to his craft.
Despite lacking a manager and industry experience, Michael's drive propelled him to significant achievements by his early twenties. His determination led to appearances on multiple national TV shows, including receiving standing ovations at the Apollo, as well as featuring on The Tyra Banks Show, The Tom Joyner Show, the Queen Latifah Show, and The Megan Mullally Show. Alongside luminaries like Coolio and R. Kelly, Michael even toured with Stevie Wonder—an experience he reveals in the episode.
Learn more about Michael's extraordinary journey and other stories in the ongoing Road to the Arena series by Triad Music. Our goal is to create music technology designed to eliminate the mystery surrounding money in music.
21 May 2024
06 - Hunter Hayes
Hunter Hayes is a self-described music nerd, but this “nerd” is also a multi-platinum singer-songwriter who is an equally brilliant producer and also masterfully plays basically every instrument. While the 2012 mega-hit anthem “Wanted” will live on forever, Hunter’s focus on self-reflection and being present in the creative process is resulting in some of the most inspiring music of his career in 2024, having most recently released the vinyl only album “Space Tapes.”
In this episode we get the rare opportunity to peek into Hunter’s thoughtful music mind as he discusses Artificial Intelligence in music and the world, the use of Tik Tok as a music discovery platform, and the interactions between music creation and the instant feedback that streaming and social media provides. Hunter also walks us through his entire music journey, from being invited to perform at the Texas Motor Speedway with Hank Williams Jr. at the age of 5 to current day. This is required listening for new artists!
7 May 2024
05 - Mae Estes
After you hear Mae Estes' story, you are going to be an instant fan of her self-dubbed genre, “Ugly Country.” Mae got her start at age 7 in the middle of an Arkansas rodeo arena singing the national anthem, and this Hope, Arkansas native hasn’t stopped singing since. Paying dues in Music City for nearly a decade, she has now racked up more than 13 million streams across platforms and over 1M views on YouTube, independently and organically building a quickly-growing fan base with her “plain-spoken truth” (The Boot). In 2022, “Thinkin Bout Cheatin’” became the first release from her debut EP as well as her first video feature on CMT. That same year, Mae was honored with Arkansas CMA Female Vocalist of the Year for the second time. Since then, she signed with Big Machine Records, WME Agency, Kobalt Music, and Blue Bronco Entertainment. She is only getting started on her Road to the Arena! Road to the Arena is an ongoing series from Triad Music. www.triadmusic.com
16 Apr 2024
04 - Scott Scovill
Now this is a wild story! Scott Scovill may have started his adult life failing out of college, but a chance encounter with U2’s tour bus sent him on a trajectory nobody could have predicted. He quite literally snuck on tour with U2 and was quickly put to work. In this episode, you will hear how Scott begged, borrowed, and stole credentials for each stop of the tour all while working for free. From there he was able to work in video production for some of the biggest acts of all time, including the likes of the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, and Garth Brooks, to name a few.
On the heels of this success Scott has become a successful entrepreneur, founding Moo TV, Moo Creative Media, The Steel Mill, and CenterStaging supportive media companies.
Scott has also become a performer himself, touring the world and opening for acts such as Brad Paisley. For his next trick, how about a book about the very learnable skill of tenacity, which underpins his success.
2 Apr 2024
03 - Basak Kizilisik
In this episode of Road to the Arena, Basak talks about how she landed in Nashville from Turkey, her process of launching a fast-growing career in the music business, and her work with Alana Springsteen. She explains what it means to market yourself as an artist, how she met Alana, and her unique approach to networking that has launched Alana into a new caliber of success.
Road to the Arena is an ongoing series from Triad Music. Our goal is to create cutting edge technology designed to eliminate the mystery surrounding money in the music industry. Hopefully these stories will pique your interest. Visit www.triadmusic.com to learn more.
15 Mar 2024
02 - Tyler Braden
Tyler Braden began discovering his sound as a teenager in Slapout, AL, where his four-hour cover sets made his grit and skill as an artist clear. He continued to perform part-time between shifts as a firefighter in Montgomery and Nashville before landing a publishing and record deal. His single, “Try Losing One,” hit No. 1 on SiriusXM The Highway’s Hot 30 Countdown. Braden's latest track, "Devil You Know”, attracted 10+ MILLION views across social media in just two weeks. With 260 million streams to his name, Braden is now taking stages world-round. His energy and raw emotion in his music make him a name to watch out for in the country music industry.
In the second episode of "Road to the Arena", Braden sits down with Drew, Mike and Wendy to talk about his rise to success. He shares about his young start to performing, his time as a firefighter, how he continues to give back to first responders, and how social media impacts the experience of being an artist.
1 Mar 2024
01 - Spencer Crandall
Spencer Crandall's Success was "Worth the Wait" | Road To The Arena Podcast Ep. 01
Spencer Crandall has become known for his raw, soul-baring stories, but it was a silly app for tweens that helped him go from one follower on Facebook (his grandma) to nearly 3MM people on TikTock. The Nashville-based artist has spent years combining pop’s untamed energy with the lyricism of Country, opening up territory no one even knew existed, all while writing the blueprint for growing your audience online. Crandall now counts 1.2M monthly Spotify listeners, 250M total career streams, more than 2.6M followers on TikTok, a couple Sirius XM's The HIghway #1 songs, and fan engagement so off the charts it drives sold-out shows around the nation.
In this episode of "Road to the Arena", Spencer recounts his rise to stardom, including how he first developed an interest in music, the role TikTok has played in his success, and the close relationship he has with his fans.
A Triad Music Production
17 Nov 2023
Road to the Arena - Coming Soon (2)
Wendy Hope, Mike Slade, and Drew Russell discuss the difficulty of breaking through the noise of 70,000 daily Spotify uploads without significant financial backing, and ways artists could improve their likelihood of success.
4 Nov 2023
Road to the Arena - Coming Soon (1)
Road to the Arena - Coming Soon!
Follow along as Wendy Hope, Drew Russell, and Mike Slade discuss the issues artists face as they navigate the murky waters that are financial transparency (or a lack thereof) in the music industry.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
822
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
20
Social presence
0
YouTube
66
Engagement
60
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