Open call: Africa Rising Music Conference 2025 artists and speakers

ARMC is a premier annual two-day music conference that brings together music professionals from across Africa and beyond. Dedicated to championing African music on the global stage, ARMC fosters creativity, networking, and professional development, offering a collaborative and inclusive environment that fuels the advancement of the African music industry.

“Are you an artist with a story to tell or a speaker ready to inspire?” ARMC said. “The Africa Rising Music Conference is opening its doors for showcase and speaker applications. This is your opportunity to share your talent, insight, and experience with a community that values creativity and growth.

ARMC 2025 is calling on forward-thinking artists, DJs, and producers who are passionate about African music and have begun building fan bases or collaborating with African artists, labels, or communities. With Africa’s music industry witnessing exponential growth – streaming platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify reporting over 200% increases in listenership – this is the moment to be part of a vibrant, unsaturated market full of potential.

“Our panels have featured influential voices in African media and the music industry, with champions of diversity and inclusion like Kim Jayde, Maps Maponyane, and Blue Lab Beats sharing their expertise,” The organisers added. “We’ve also created international bridges by partnering with festivals like Reeperbahn in Germany, showcasing how ARMC not only brings global talent to Africa but also exports African artistry to audiences worldwide.”

The deadline for application is 15 December 2025. Applications for artists and speakers can be accessed via the links below:

• Artist applications
• Speaker applications

UK artists can access travel funding through our partnership with the PRS Foundation, and all participants are encouraged to explore mobility support through local export offices or cultural institutions like the Goethe-Institut and British Council.

Founded by South African female creative SJ Nicholson in 2018, the Africa Rising Music Conference is a female-led, executive-focused conference that promises to be a game-changer for African music and its connection to the worldwide market.

This conference features a unique mix of local and international delegates, centring around the urban and electronic music industries and the Afro-Euro connection that both of these chart-topping genres provide.

“Our team is on the road to curating only the best in local and international music, building bridges, inspiring innovation, and, of course, ensuring that voices are represented accordingly, a true reflection of the future of music,” ARMC added.

For more information, visit the official ARMC’s website.