Ghazi Shami
Ghazi Shami is a Palestinian-American music executive, technologist, and entrepreneur, best known as the founder and CEO of Empire Distribution. Established in 2010 in San Francisco, California, Empire has grown into an international operation with offices in New York, Nashville, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East.
The company has played a significant role in the careers of numerous artists across diverse genres, including hip-hop, R&B, Latin, reggae, pop, rock, gospel, and country.
Early life
Ghazi Shami was born and raised in San Francisco, California. His father, Fuad Hanna Shami, was from Khirbat Lid in Palestine and left in 1948 following its occupation and depopulation during the Arab-Israeli War. His mother was from Ramla.From a young age, Shami demonstrated an aptitude for technology and music. By four years old, he was repairing washing machines in his father's laundromat, and by 14, he was creating "pause-tapes" using a Gemini mixer and two tape decks.
Education
Shami graduated from the College of San Mateo with an associate degree in music technology. He has a bachelor's degree in radio and television from San Francisco State University. Ghazi was later inducted to San Francisco State's Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 2025.Career
Career before Empire
Prior to founding Empire, Shami cultivated a diverse professional background spanning technology and music production. He worked in various technology companies during the new millennium's initial tech boom, including Sun Microsystems, Eloquent Technologies, and Audio Highway, where he gained insights into fiber optic cables and nascent compression technology. He also served as an audio engineer for 3rd Eye Studios in 1995 and as a creative media manager for Audiohighway.com in 2000.Around 2002, he left his corporate job, using the financial payout to fund his nascent vision for a music venture. During this period, he was actively involved in music production, making beats, writing, and recording albums with artists like Messy Marv and Planet Asia, though these projects were not released. He spent significant time at Hyde Street Studios, mixing projects, printing cover art, and pressing disks, developing a "one-stop-shop" service for artists and brands.
Empire: Founding and business model
Ghazi Shami founded Empire Distribution in 2010 in San Francisco, California. He started the company with a credit card. Shami's initial vision for Empire was to bridge the gap between a digital distribution platform and a record label, offering a unique business model that championed artist autonomy and transparency.Unlike traditional labels that sought to "own everything," Empire focused on non-exclusive deals, believing that fair treatment and transparent royalty statements would encourage artists to stay. Artists could log in to see their earnings, fostering trust. Empire's core business model emphasizes a "win more than you lose" approach, operating leaner than major labels and signing a higher volume of acts, often investing "sweat equity" rather than large financial advances. They generally avoid royalty-based deals, structuring most agreements as partnerships that favor the artist with higher percentages.
Shami's music label has produced music for 50 Cent, XXXTentacion, Benny the Butcher, Hayley Kiyoko, Nef the Pharaoh, The Foreign Exchange, Rapper Big Pooh, Keak Da Sneak, Kendrick Lamar, and others. Shami has helped jump-start the careers of Kendrick Lamar, Migos, Cardi B, and Anderson.Paak.