Empire Distribution
 | |
| Genre | Various |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder | Ghazi Shami |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Website | empi |
EMPIRE Distribution (also known as EMPIRE) is an American record label and music distribution company. It was started in 2010 by Ghazi Shami in San Francisco, California. The company has offices in New York, London, Lagos, and Johannesburg.
History
Founding
Ghazi Shami grew up in San Francisco and was interested in both music and technology. Before starting EMPIRE, he worked at several technology companies and a recording studio. He also worked at a music distribution company called INgrooves, where he learned how digital music distribution worked.[1]
Shami started EMPIRE from his home in San Francisco in 2010. The company first focused on rap music. It built its own software that helped artists and their managers track how much money their music was earning. The company paid artists their earnings every month.[2]
Record label
In 2014, EMPIRE started its own record label. The label released music by artists including Anderson .Paak, whose album Malibu got him a Grammy nomination, and Fat Joe and Remy Ma, whose song "All The Way Up" was also nominated for a Grammy.
In 2017, XXXTentacion's first album 17 was released on EMPIRE. It reached number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. After his death in 2018, his album Skins reached number 1.[3]
EMPIRE Africa
EMPIRE began working in Africa through a deal with Nigerian artist Olamide and his label YBNL.[4] The first artist signed to EMPIRE Africa was Nigerian singer Fireboy DML. His song "Peru", which was later remixed with Ed Sheeran, became popular around the world. EMPIRE Africa later signed other Nigerian artists including Asake, Burna Boy, and Kizz Daniel.[5]
EMPIRE Latino and EMPIRE Nashville
EMPIRE started a Latin music division called EMPIRE Latino in 2018. A country music division called EMPIRE Nashville was started in 2019.[6]
EMPIRE Publishing
In 2020, EMPIRE started a music publishing division.[7]
Shaboozey
In May 2024, artist Shaboozey, who had signed with EMPIRE in 2021, released an album called Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going. The song "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" from the album reached number 1 on the Billboard Country chart and spent 16 weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[8] Shaboozey was also nominated for five Grammy Awards in 2025, including Song of the Year and Best New Artist.[9]
Grammy Awards
| Year | Artist/Song | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "Strictly Roots" (Morgan Heritage) | Best Reggae Album | Won |
| 2017 | "Malibu" (Anderson .Paak) | Best New Artist | Nominated |
| 2017 | "All The Way Up" (Fat Joe & Remy Ma) | Best Rap Performance | Nominated |
Some artists
EMPIRE has worked with many artists, including:
References
- ↑ Ruskin, Zack (6 February 2019). "How Empire founder Ghazi Shami built San Francisco a new musical kingdom". Datebook. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ↑ Hissong, Samantha (29 October 2020). "Empire's Founder Ghazi Shami -- Future 25". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ↑ Sisario, Ben; Coscarelli, Joe (8 July 2018). "XXXTentacion Signed $10 Million Album Deal Before His Death". The New York Times.
- ↑ Rys, Dan (2 March 2022). "EMPIRE's Ghazi On Expansion Into Africa, Nashville and Crypto". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ↑ Rys, Dan (12 May 2023). "From the Bay Area to Africa, How EMPIRE Became A Global Force". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ↑ Cantrell, L. B. (1 March 2021). "EMPIRE Nashville's Eric Hurt And Heather Vassar Talk Early Success". MusicRow.com. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ↑ Aswad, Jem (10 September 2020). "Empire Launches Publishing Division". Variety.
- ↑ Trust, Gary (4 November 2024). "Shaboozey's 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' Ties Decade's Longest Hot 100 Rule With 16th Week at No. 1". Billboard.
- ↑ McClay, Caché. "Shaboozey receives 5 Grammy nominations". The Tennessean.