The Africa Rising Music Convention (ARMC) concluded its 2026 version in Johannesburg final weekend, bringing collectively greater than 1,000 delegates from over 15 international locations, and concluded with the official launch of artist mentorship applications in Germany and South Africa, and a ground-breaking dialogue on synthetic intelligence within the music trade.
The sixth Ladies’s Management Convention, held over two days at Structure Hill, introduced collectively artists, managers, coverage makers, entrepreneurs and institutional representatives from the German Embassy in Pretoria, the Australian Excessive Fee in Pretoria, the Swedish Embassy in Pretoria and extra.
An important official announcement was the launch of a music mentorship program for South African artists, developed by means of a tripartite partnership between the German Embassy in Pretoria, ARMC and Berlin-based music firm Paradise Worldwide. The 5 chosen South African artists will obtain skilled mastering help, steering on launch technique, one-on-one mentoring with established German music trade specialists, art work design, press images and visible content material manufacturing. Functions are actually being accepted.
Australia’s function as this 12 months’s official worldwide focus nation produced one of many convention’s most memorable moments. As a part of the primary Australian delegation to attend ARMC, Indigenous Australian rapper DOBBY, who was delivered to the occasion by music firm Alchemy Music, invited rising South African rappers on stage on the networking reception for an unscripted freestyle session that elicited a robust response from attendees, underscoring the convention’s deal with genuine cross-cultural change.
The convention additionally hosted Africa’s Berlin AI Assume Tank, which convened native and worldwide stakeholders to debate synthetic intelligence, creator consent, licensing, attribution, and truthful compensation throughout the music trade. Organizations taking part within the session included the South African Music Efficiency Rights Affiliation (SAMPRA), the Composers, Authors and Publishers Affiliation (CAPASSO), the Affiliation for Digital Music (AFEM) and the technical analysis institute Fraunhofer IDMT.
South African artist Rouge, who appeared at this occasion after facilitating a workshop on the earlier convention, spoke about what the platform means for African creatives.
“ARMC is greater than only a convention, it’s a rising motion,” she mentioned.
