Africa Rising Music Conference 2026 Concludes, Fostering Creativity & Professional Growth

Africa Rising Music Conference (ARMC) 2026 concluded this past weekend, May 22-23, at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, delivering two days of forward-thinking conversations, international networking, and cultural exchange that further cemented ARMC’s position as one of Africa’s most important music industry platforms.

ARMC 2026 brought together over 1,000 artists, executives, entrepreneurs, policymakers, creatives and innovators from over 15 countries over the two conference days.

Conversations focused not only on the future of music, but on creating tangible opportunities and real industry outcomes for African artists.

The line-up of speakers and attendees featured leading voices from music, culture and government, including Elaine, TRESOR, Kim Jayde and Janesh, alongside key institutional representation from the Limpopo Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the German Embassy Pretoria, the Australian High Commission Pretoria and the Embassy of Sweden in Pretoria.

One of the conference’s most significant announcements was the official launch of the Music Mentorship Program for South African Artists, a new collaboration between the German Embassy Pretoria, ARMC and Paradise Worldwide.

Officially unveiled during the conference by representatives from all three organizations, the initiative is designed to bridge the gap between creativity and professional music industry development for South African artists.

As ARMC founder, and Managing Director of Paradise Worldwide (Africa), Sarah Jane Nicholson told Pollstar ahead of this year’s conference, this is one of the main reasons ARMC exists: to connect the local scene with the world. From young professionals building the country’s grassroots scene to top-tier label and media executives, they all attend the conference, speaking on panels and networking on site.

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Marten Menger, Head of the Cultural Department at the German Embassy Pretoria, commented, “Music and diplomacy share many traits. They connect people. They foster collaboration. When successful, they create something bigger than the sum of its parts. ARMC’s Mentorship Programme for South African Artists is about just that: connections between German and South African artists to create something beautiful. As the German Embassy, we are glad to be part of this.”

Applications for the program are now officially open, with five selected artists set to receive comprehensive support for an upcoming release project including professional mastering, release strategy support, one-on-one international mentorship paired with established German music industry professionals and artists, EP and single artwork design, professional press shots, in-studio promotional content production and visual storytelling support.

Another standout moment at ARMC 2026 was the introduction of the Berlin AI Think Tank in Africa, which created a critical platform for discussions around artificial intelligence, creator consent, licensing, attribution and fair remuneration within the rapidly evolving music landscape.

ARMC 2026 also strengthened international cultural ties to Australia, the official international focus country of this year’s edition, through the SA Meets Australia Networking Reception, presented in collaboration with the Australian High Commission Pretoria, Creative Australia and Alchemy Music.

The reception featured a special live performance by Australian artist DOBBY, whose appearance became one of the conference’s defining moments when he invited emerging South African rappers onto the stage for an improvised freestyle collaboration – creating an authentic and spontaneous exchange between young artists from both countries.

Beyond the conference program, live music could be heard all around ARMC 2026, with performances and showcases from artists including Henrik Schwarz (DE), Young Duragg (ZA), Mörda (ZA), Doowap (ZA), Rouge (ZA), HARUNA (UK), TIMANTI (UK) and more.

ARMC 2027 dates have already been set for May 21-22, 2027. Early bird tickets for next year’s conference are on sale.

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_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/05/27/bridging-the-gap-between-creativity-professional-development-africa-rising-music-conference-2026-concludes/)._