Switch on your radio and you’ll likely here sounds of West African rappers interspersed with western pop and homegrown British talent. Bands such as Ezra Collective and Nubiyan Twist fuse the sounds of Afrobeat and jazz at festivals across the globe. Music has no borders, and naturally, this vast and diverse musical culture from across Africa is now influencing the headline acts of tomorrow.
It was not always like this, and that’s thanks to the work of people like Sarah Jane Nicholson. Sarah is the founder of the Africa Rising Music Conference (ARMC), a two-day event that is both a conference and a place for artists from across Africa to share ideas and perform.
It was born through Sarah’s “appetite as an artist manager” to help develop musicians both in the continent and beyond. And as an artist manager Sarah has a history of developing artists from South Africa and showing them to the world. But in her own words, Sarah’s career “had hit a glass ceiling, so I really wanted to explore how to get artists out of Africa,” she says.
“Our goal is to bring authentic representation of African talent to the world stage.”
Through the ARMC that’s being achieved in a few ways. Hosting its sixth edition in 2026, the Africa Rising Music Conference is a place that aims to amplify underrepresented voices in the music and live industries, while placing artists from across the continent on a pedestal.
Alongside welcoming executives and keen learners, ARMC also hosts artists from across Africa through its musical programme. Late night gigs and DJ sets celebrate both local artists and the wider influence of the African diaspora through acts shipped in from across Europe, North and South America and Australia.
But ARMC has much bigger aspirations than simply providing a space where the music industry can meet. One of ARMC’s core aims is to elevate the African music industry as a whole. “A big part of our programming is focused on grassroots development, creating access for young executives to gain knowledge about contracts, industry norms and give them financial literacy,” says Sarah. “If we’re developing talent only to be hand picked by international agents or labels, it creates quite a false sense of economy for our music sector.”
Another goal for the ARMC is to bring “authentic representation of African talent to the world stage,” something that’s especially important while music from across Africa is making waves further afield. According to Spotify, the number of Nigerian artists on the platform has risen by 158% since 2021. A 2025 report from the The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) also highlighted how recorded music revenues in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region experienced a growth rate of 22.8%, followed by Sub-Saharan Africa at +22.6%.
From the rap-tinged Afro sounds of Burna Boy to the traditional melodies of Saraha’s Tinariwen, music from the continent is thriving. But it doesn’t stop with immediate success. “We ask ourselves how can we create real value and showcase this untapped potential, whether it’s through streaming or live music,” says Sarah. “It’s a long-term approach.”
But trying to cultivate major cultural shifts comes with challenges. “As an independent platform it’s not easy, but platforms like ours are so important for us as a community,” says Sarah. “We have such ripe talent coming out of Sub-Saharan Africa, but we don’t have the structures that places like the UK and Europe have. So we have to lean on ourselves for access, for protection and for knowledge and connection.“
But while there are more ears on African music than ever before, how is this being represented on the festival stage? Festivals such as Uganda’s Nyege Nyege are great independent success stories, while the global dance brand Ultra are hosting some of the biggest DJs in the world on equally massive stages in Johannesburg and Cape Town. But in a disappointingly familiar story, the COVID pandemic has shuttered many events across the continent.
That’s not to say it’s all bad news. Quite the opposite, but challenges still remain. “There are certainly a lot of festivals popping up, but whether these are a sustainable model is yet to be seen,” says Sarah.
Brand activations are becoming major supporters for festivals across Africa, thinks Sarah. This is through a mix of necessity, partly down to a lack of official government support for those wanting to build something in their local communities. But with that lack of resource comes opportunity. “We don’t have organisations that support the nightlife economy, so brands such as Jägermeister are the ones who are working to create programmes that support different events and projects for the global market,” she says. “It’s encouraging to see brands actively getting involved in carrying the culture.”
This is all adding to what Sarah is describing as a “massive boom” for festivals across Africa. It’s no secret that brand investment is a crucial part to the success of any festival, but securing an audience also means changing perceptions, she thinks. “The more people who come to a successful event, it changes certain perceptions about the market,” she says. Another factor to sustainable success is industry experience. “If you know someone who’s worked in an international market where they know exactly how things are running, even if you put them into a market which is completely unknown, with the correct knowledge a few right moves might get them exactly where they need to be.”
There are some universal truths however in what it takes to build a festival, wherever you are. That means knowing your audience. “Whether you’re booking an Afro house festival or you’re finding your artists from outside of the region, if you’re a new festival you need a reason to be engaging in the market,” says Sarah. “You need a strong line-up and you need to work with brands and stakeholders, but you also need a point of entry. What is the story you’re telling?“
That story, it seems, is being told through an industry that is thriving through sheer determination and a desire to share what they do with the world. “The most exciting thing about this music industry is that we are resilient,” says Sarah. “We think outside the box because we have to do really well with what we’ve got. Artists don’t rest on their laurels, they find innovative ways to connect with their communities to drive reasons why people should be booking them. That’s unique.“
Tickets for the Africa Rising Music Conference are available now.
