Sonicbids Founder and CEO Honored with Top Industry Awards for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Panos Panay Named Mass High Tech All-Star and Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Winner

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sonicbids, the website that helps bands discover and book gigs, announced today that its Founder and CEO, Panos Panay, has been selected for two industry awards. Panay is the Internet category winner for the Mass High Tech’s All-Star Awards and 2010 honoree for the Boston Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Award.

“Technology companies continue to serve as building blocks for the New England economy by helping to grow not only their own organizations but in leading the way out of the recession for all of us.”

Panay, 38, was selected for these awards because of his undying dedication to evolving the music industry into the digital age. He pioneered the concept of connecting bands and promoters online, which soon became the industry standard for applying to gigs. This mission started nearly 10 years ago and has led to 71,000 gigs being booked last year. Panay has also shown his dedication to the growth of the entrepreneurial spirit, as he co-founded Boston Young Entrepreneurs in 2005. He also acts as the Chairman of the Berklee College of Music Presidential Advisory Council and serves as founding member of the board of directors of Boston World Partnerships, a non-profit organization created by Mayor Thomas M. Menino to raise global awareness of Boston as one of the world's foremost centers of intellectual capital and innovation.

“Each year the Mass High Tech All-Star Awards recognizes 16 influential leaders in New England’s innovation economy. Each leader represents a specific category from which they were chosen like biotech, Internet and education,” said Douglas Banks, publisher and editor, Mass High Tech. “Technology companies continue to serve as building blocks for the New England economy by helping to grow not only their own organizations but in leading the way out of the recession for all of us.”

This year the Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award saw their largest amount of nominations in over 13 years with nominees totaling over four hundred. This year’s pool of honorees included a wide spectrum of successful professionals and citizens fully engaged in the city’s growth and evolution. Panay joined the ranks with fellow 2010 honorees like Billy Hogan, Managing Director of Fenway Sports Group, Andrew Benett, global CEO of Arnold Worldwide, and Stacey Princi, Director of Operations and Producer at Improv Asylum.

Honorees for both awards will be recognized at an evening awards celebration and networking reception. Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award celebration will be held on October 7^th at the State Room and the MHT All-Star Awards will be held on October 28 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Boston.

About Sonicbids

Sonicbids is the website the helps bands get gigs and promoters book the right bands. Our community includes more than 275,000 bands and 21,000 promoters and licensors from all around the world. With festivals, clubs, colleges, music licensing and much more, Sonicbids offers a diverse range of gigs for every kind of musician. In fact, last year alone, more than 71,000 gigs were booked on the site. The company was founded in 2001 by Panos Panay and continues to focus on its core mission of empowering the artistic middle class. Get a gig or book a band at www.sonicbids.com.