# Ghazi on Empire’s Global Expansion & Latin Music Growth | On the Record

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/ghazi-on-empires-global-expansion-latin-music-growth-on-the-record/
- Published: 2026-10-22T15:14:40+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T15:20:26+00:00
- Original publisher: Billboard
- Original article: https://www.billboard.com/video/ghazi-empire-global-expansion-latin-music-growth/
- Topics: Business, Companies, Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Ghazi says EMPIRE backed reggaeton before streaming made it easier to monetise.
- The label began signing reggaeton artists in 2011.
- He also discusses global expansion and visa issues affecting tours.

## Summary

New coverage adds Ghazi’s account of EMPIRE’s early move into reggaeton: he says he saw its piracy challenges as a temporary obstacle and believed subscription streaming would make the genre commercially viable. The decision helped shape the company’s growth beyond hip-hop as global music found wider audiences.

EMPIRE began signing reggaeton artists in 2011, but Ghazi said he later signed established acts whose streaming numbers drew interest from Sony and Universal. In the interview, recorded at Latin Music Week, he also discusses the label’s reach across Latin America, Southeast Asia and North Africa, and how US visa and immigration issues affect Latin artists’ touring schedules.

## Coverage

- [Billboard: Ghazi on Empire’s Global Expansion & Latin Music Growth | On the Record](https://www.billboard.com/video/ghazi-empire-global-expansion-latin-music-growth/)
- [Music Business Worldwide: EMPIRE founder Ghazi launches B2B music infrastructure company Supply Chain globally, with Beatport-owned Ampsuite as launch partner](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/empire-founder-ghazi-launches-b2b-music-infrastructure-company-supply-chain-globally-with-beatport-owned-ampsuite-as-launch-partner/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.