Ghazi, the visionary founder and head of indie label and distribution powerhouse Empire, has officially announced his newest venture: Supply Chain. The newly unveiled enterprise is an independent, B2B cloud-based distribution company designed specifically for the global music industry. By seamlessly integrating advanced technology, comprehensive distribution, robust operational tools, and commercial connectivity, Supply Chain aims to redefine how independent music operates on a worldwide scale.
Alongside the official company launch, leadership announcements revealed two key senior executive appointments to steer the organization. Craig May has joined the company as the Senior Vice President of Marketing, bringing his extensive industry expertise to the table, while Kristy May has been appointed as the Senior Vice President of Business Affairs. Strategically positioned for international growth, Supply Chain has established its global headquarters in Amsterdam, recognized widely as one of Europe’s most vibrant and connected hubs for both music and technology.
According to announcements released by the company, Supply Chain is stepping into the market with an ambitious mandate: to build the foundational infrastructure that independent music runs on. This platform is designed to provide independent creators, labels, and enterprises with the tools they need to thrive without sacrificing their autonomy.
"Its mission is to deliver the technology, expertise and commercial access needed to operate, grow and compete globally, in service of a broader vision of a world where independent music has the power to shape its own future," the official company announcement states, outlining the philosophy driving the new venture. "The platform gives independent music businesses neutral, enterprise-grade infrastructure without requiring them to give up control of their catalog, data, client relationships or commercial choices."
After quietly launching in a beta phase in 2025, Supply Chain is now fully operational on a global scale. The company is already collaborating with a diverse range of clients spanning the entire music industry ecosystem. Among these early collaborations is a high-profile launch partnership with Ampsuite, a platform owned by electronic music giant Beatport, aimed at powering crucial infrastructure expansion for independent electronic labels.
Reflecting on the five-year journey required to bring this platform to life, Ghazi sat down to discuss the pressing needs of the modern music ecosystem and why Supply Chain is uniquely positioned to address them. In an industry characterized by complex rights management and vast geographical differences, the founder realized that a one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work for independent creators and modern business entities alike.
"There needs to be a fully fleshed-out rights management system that is also culturally nuanced," Ghazi tells Variety. "The needs of an independent label in Brazil are not the same as an artist in India, which are not the same as a private equity company that’s invested $500 million in catalogs. Supply Chain can manage contracts, master royalties, publishing royalties, merch royalties, split payments and more."
The complexity of managing global rights, catalog investments, and localized artist needs has long been a bottleneck for the independent sector. Supply Chain seeks to eliminate these operational hurdles by offering an all-in-one digital environment capable of handling intricate financial transactions and legal frameworks across diverse international markets.
For Ghazi, the launch of Supply Chain represents the culmination of years of meticulous development, strategic foresight, and deep industry knowledge gathered from his extensive experience building Empire into a global independent giant. Building a sustainable, future-proof ecosystem required immense dedication and patience, turning the new venture into a deeply personal undertaking.
"It’s been a labor of love for five years," he continues. "I wanted to build something as scale-able and as future-proof as possible. It introduces a lot of operational efficiencies and reduces tech friction, and when you do all that, you’re allowing creativity to flourish. Our software is built for independents and it’s designed to connect and serve the independent community."
By stripping away the administrative friction and technological barriers that typically weigh down independent creators and growing enterprises, Supply Chain hopes to redirect focus back to where it matters most: the art itself. The cloud-based nature of the platform ensures that users can access enterprise-grade capabilities from anywhere in the world, democratizing access to high-level operational tools that were previously reserved for major conglomerates or heavily funded corporate players.
The platform’s early partnership with Beatport’s Ampsuite highlights the immediate utility and appeal of Supply Chain’s offerings to established music technology platforms. Ampsuite provides essential operational software for many of the electronic music labels that fuel Beatport’s massive catalog, and the integration of Supply Chain’s advanced infrastructure promises to enhance these capabilities significantly.
Matt Gralen, Chief Executive Officer of Beatport, emphasized the strategic value of this partnership and the necessity of evolving alongside the rapidly changing demands of the modern music business. As digital distribution and catalog management grow increasingly sophisticated, industry leaders are actively seeking robust solutions that can scale seamlessly into the future.
"Ampsuite offers the most complete set of tools for the labels that power Beatport, but we are always looking to provide more and respond to evolution in the industry," Beatport CEO Matt Gralen says. "In Supply Chain, we have a partner that offers advanced features out of the box and the ability and ambition to build for the future of the business."
With its global headquarters now open in Amsterdam, senior leadership in place, a successful beta phase behind it, and key industry partnerships already active, Supply Chain enters the market poised to make a profound impact. As the independent music sector continues to capture a larger share of the global market and attract significant financial investment, the rollout of neutral, enterprise-grade infrastructure like Supply Chain marks a significant step forward in the evolution of the modern music business.
