Independent label, distributor and publisher EMPIRE is making a big step further into the merchandising business, announcing today it has acquired a majority stake in merch/ecommerce company Top Drawer Merch / Electric Family.
For EMPIRE, which has established itself as a leader in the independent music business over the past several years, the acquisition bolsters their in-house merchandising division with an established player in the field, with Top Drawer having worked with Coachella, Stagecoach, Bud Light, J Balvin and Khalid, among others.
Top Drawer, meanwhile, will remain a standalone company in its own right, in addition to serving as the merch and ecommerce wing for EMPIRE, which has artists such as Young Dolph and Robin Thicke on its roster and has been expanding from its Bay Area roots into Nashville and London in recent months, among other areas. EMPIRE Founder/CEO Ghazi was named to Billboard’s 2020 Power List in January.
"Partnering with EMPIRE will give our team the opportunity to accomplish our goal of becoming the most tech-advanced merchandise company in the world, while also delivering the industries best services,” said Top Drawer/Electric Family co-founder/CEO Drew Nilon in a statement. "Ghazi and his team at EMPIRE have built an incredible company and we look forward to learning from them as we continue into our next phase of growth."
"EMPIRE was built on ingenuity -- to deliver independent music to the world fast, efficiently and transparently," Ghazi added. "What Drew and the Top Drawer Merch/Electric Family team have accomplished in the merchandise and ecommerce industry, mirrors EMPIRE’s tech focused roots and growth over the past decade."