Panos Panay
Panos Panay is founder and ceo of Sonicbids, a social music marketing platform that connects bands, promoters, consumer brands and music fans. Panos launched Sonicbids in 2001 with just $50,000 in startup capital and with a basic mission: great music should always find an audience. It has since grown into a global platform connecting more than 350,000 bands with 26,000 promoters from over 100 different countries. Sonicbids is the online launching pad for many of today's hot artists and has exclusive partnerships with many taste-making events and consumer brands like South By Southwest, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, CMJ Music Marathon, Red Bull GmbH, Marriott Hotels and Diesel Industry.
Panos is widely credited for spotting and capitalizing early on three distinct emerging trends in the music business over the last decade: the shift to a primarily online means of marketing; the emergence of an "artistic middle class,” a term which he coined; and the shift from a record-label funded industry to a consumer brand-funded music business.
Prior to founding Sonicbids, Panos was a talent agent representing numerous legendary jazz artists like Pat Metheny and Chick Corea. He has been recognized with several awards, including Fast Company's "Fast 50" honor; Berklee College of Music's Distinguished Alumnus Award; Inc Magazine's "Inc 500;" and was also a feature in the Financial Times published book "Outsmart" by author Jim Champy. Panos was born and raised on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. He is active on many charitable and community supporting boards and is a diehard Arsenal FC fan.