{"id":103895,"date":"2024-10-03T21:04:35","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T01:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2024\/10\/03\/ghazi-says-empire-is-not-for-sale-im-dead-serious\/"},"modified":"2024-10-03T21:04:35","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T01:04:35","slug":"ghazi-says-empire-is-not-for-sale-im-dead-serious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2024\/10\/03\/ghazi-says-empire-is-not-for-sale-im-dead-serious\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghazi Says EMPIRE Is Not for Sale: \u2018I\u2019m Dead\u00a0Serious\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- no image --><\/p>\n<div><!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tEMPIRE is not for sale, said company founder\/CEO <strong>Ghazi<\/strong> at the Trapital Summit on Thursday (Oct. 3) in Hollywood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tWhile appearing on a panel titled \u201cThe Rise of Independent Music\u201d at the inaugural edition of the conference, Trapital founder <strong>Dan Runcie <\/strong>played a short game of over\/under with Ghazi, asking the EMPIRE head how many calls he\u2019d recently received about selling the label\/distributor.<\/p>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story \/\/ lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-t-1 lrv-u-border-b-1 lrv-u-padding-t-050 lrv-u-padding-b-075 lrv-u-border-color-grey\">\n<div class=\"a-heading-border a-heading-border-background-color-grey a-heading-border-height-075 lrv-u-margin-b-075 lrv-u-margin-b-050@mobile-max\">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  lrv-u-color-brand-primary a-font-primary-bold-s lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase lrv-u-padding-r-1 a-article-related-module-title a-article-related-module-title--color-brand-primary\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card lrv-u-flex\">\n<p>\t\t\t<a tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/pro\/empire-music-company-afrobeats-africa-ghazi-interview\/\" class=\"lrv-u-flex lrv-a-unstyle-link lrv-u-color-brand-primary:hover\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"o-card__image-wrap lrv-u-flex-shrink-0 u-flex-basis-144 u-flex-basis-96@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  lrv-u-height-100p\">\n<div class=\"a-crop-3x2 a-crop-1x1@mobile-max lrv-u-height-100p\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/feature-empire-tina-davis-nima-ghazi-billboard-2023-bb6-katie-lovecraft-1b-pro-1260.jpg?crop=221px%2C58px%2C863px%2C535px&amp;resize=237%2C147\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/feature-empire-tina-davis-nima-ghazi-billboard-2023-bb6-katie-lovecraft-1b-pro-1260.jpg?crop=221px%2C58px%2C863px%2C535px&amp;resize=237%2C147\" alt=\"Tina Davis, Ghazi, Nima Etminan, Empire\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"\" width=\"\"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card__content lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-justify-content-center lrv-u-padding-lr-1 lrv-u-padding-lr-075@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"o_category \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c_title \">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-font-primary-medium-m lrv-u-padding-b-050 u-letter-spacing-0028@mobile-max\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tFrom the Bay Area to Africa, How EMPIRE Became A Global\u00a0Force\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<p><time class=\"c-timestamp  a-font-primary-medium-xxs lrv-u-color-brand-primary lrv-u-order-100\" datetime=\"00:00-YY-DD-MM\"><br \/>\n\t05\/12\/2023<br \/>\n<\/time><\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cYou run a music company that has done well from a business perspective and many companies that are your peers in this space are being acquired, they are selling, they are raising money,\u201d Runcie said, adding that EMPIRE is an attractive company to acquire at the moment. He then asked Ghazi if he had received over or under four phone calls in the last 12 months poking around to see if he would sell or allow investment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cI haven\u2019t gotten any phone calls,\u201d Ghazi said sternly to the audience. \u201cBecause everybody knows I\u2019m not for sale. Period. I am dead serious. I am living my purpose. There\u2019s no price on that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe declaration comes as independent music distributors like Stem, Downtown, ONErpm and Believe have begun <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/pro\/indie-music-distributors-investors-major-labels\/\">fundraising and exploring acquisitions<\/a> from major music companies and other investors. Earlier this year, Warner Music Group looked into acquiring Believe (talks between the two ultimately <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/business\/business-news\/warner-music-plan-believe-dropped-1235651246\/\">fizzled out<\/a>) and later <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/pro\/warner-music-hires-goldman-sachs-banker-search-buy-distributor\/\">hired Goldman Sachs<\/a> banker <strong>Michael Ryan-Southern<\/strong> to lead its search to buy a distributor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tWhile EMPIRE would be an ideal acquisition target for the majors or private equity, Ghazi said that\u2019s not an option.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cI\u2019m one of the very few people that I don\u2019t give a s\u2014 about money. I care about money that I can share with other people within the livelihood that I get to create,\u201d Ghazi said at the one-day conference. \u201cI used to tell people when I started EMPIRE, \u2018I want to be the Robin Hood of the music business.\u2019 And I think that I\u2019ve stuck to my principles. People will always poke around and it never gets to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story \/\/ lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-t-1 lrv-u-border-b-1 lrv-u-padding-t-050 lrv-u-padding-b-075 lrv-u-border-color-grey\">\n<div class=\"a-heading-border a-heading-border-background-color-grey a-heading-border-height-075 lrv-u-margin-b-075 lrv-u-margin-b-050@mobile-max\">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  lrv-u-color-brand-primary a-font-primary-bold-s lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase lrv-u-padding-r-1 a-article-related-module-title a-article-related-module-title--color-brand-primary\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card lrv-u-flex\">\n<p>\t\t\t<a tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/country\/shaboozey-a-bar-song-tipsy-country-music-cover-1235790910\/\" class=\"lrv-u-flex lrv-a-unstyle-link lrv-u-color-brand-primary:hover\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"o-card__image-wrap lrv-u-flex-shrink-0 u-flex-basis-144 u-flex-basis-96@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  lrv-u-height-100p\">\n<div class=\"a-crop-3x2 a-crop-1x1@mobile-max lrv-u-height-100p\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/cover-shaboozey-billboard-2024-bb15-eric-ryan-anderson-2-1260.jpg?crop=0px%2C60px%2C1290px%2C800px&amp;resize=237%2C147\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/cover-shaboozey-billboard-2024-bb15-eric-ryan-anderson-2-1260.jpg?crop=0px%2C60px%2C1290px%2C800px&amp;resize=237%2C147\" alt=\"Shaboozey photographed September\u00a012, 2024 at Seret Studios in Brooklyn.\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"\" width=\"\"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card__content lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-justify-content-center lrv-u-padding-lr-1 lrv-u-padding-lr-075@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"o_category \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c_title \">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-font-primary-medium-m lrv-u-padding-b-050 u-letter-spacing-0028@mobile-max\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tInside Shaboozey\u2019s World: The \u2018A Bar Song\u2019 Hit-Maker Reveals How He Became Country\u2019s Favorite\u2026\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<p><time class=\"c-timestamp  a-font-primary-medium-xxs lrv-u-color-brand-primary lrv-u-order-100\" datetime=\"00:00-YY-DD-MM\"><br \/>\n\t10\/03\/2024<br \/>\n<\/time><\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tGhazi explained that he has brushed off any inquiries that have come his way and has tried to keep his eye on the prize. \u201cWe\u2019re helping thousands of people. We\u2019ve created micro-economies all across this planet we call Earth and, for me, there\u2019s nothing more special than that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe EMPIRE CEO\u2019s declaration comes as client <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/shaboozey\/\">Shaboozey<\/a>\u2019s \u201cA Bar Song (Tipsy)\u201d continues its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/lists\/shaboozey-a-bar-song-tipsy-hot-100-number-one-12th-week\/\">No. 1 streak<\/a> on the Billboard Hot 100 with 12 weeks at the summit to date.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cDid you ever think that one of the biggest songs you would have would be a country song?\u201d Runcie asked during the conversation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cI didn\u2019t think it wouldn\u2019t be,\u201d Ghazi responded. The CEO went on to explain that about five years ago, EMPIRE set out to find stars and that in every genre they explored \u2014 including hip-hop, country and Afro music \u2014 they found someone special. \u201cA lot of it just has to do with having the right taste, your thumb on the pulse and approaching the culture with understanding what they\u2019re trying to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/pro\/empire-ceo-ghazi-company-not-for-sale-trapital-summit\/\">Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EMPIRE is not for sale, said company founder\/CEO Ghazi at the Trapital Summit on Thursday (Oct. 3) in Hollywood. While appearing on a panel titled \u201cThe Rise of Independent Music\u201d at the inaugural edition of the conference, Trapital founder Dan Runcie played a short game of over\/under with Ghazi, asking the EMPIRE head how many [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103895\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}