Ghazi Shami

Ghazi Shami (Arabic: غازي شامي; born 1977), is an American music executive, technologist and entrepreneur, best known as the founder and CEO of Empire Distribution. Of Palestinian origins, Shami has been described as the "highest-profile Palestinian executive in the music business." In 2010, Shami established Empire Distribution in San Francisco, and has remained its CEO since. As of 2026, Empire had offices in New York, Nashville, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. The company played a role in the careers of artists in genres such as hip-hop, R&B, Latin, reggae, pop, rock, gospel, and country. Throughout his career, Shami has received several honors, including being named a "San Franciscan of the Year," being included in Variety's Top 50 Hip-Hop Executives of All Time, and receiving Billboard's Clive Davis Visionary Award.