Africa Rising Music Conference to Address AI and Creator Rights
The sixth Africa Rising Music Conference is scheduled for May 22 and 23, 2026, at Constitution Hill. Discussions will centre on artificial intelligence, music rights, and the future of the creative industry.
The conference will feature the first Johannesburg meeting of the Berlin AI Think Tank, an initiative established by Paradise Worldwide, AIxchange, Association for Electronic Music, Fraunhofer IDMT and MusicTech Germany.
The initiative intends to convene African and international stakeholders to discuss ethical guidelines for the application of AI in music production and distribution.
Conference discussions will cover topics including creator consent, licensing, remuneration, and copyright protection within AI-generated music systems. Delegates will also consider a proposed Pan-African framework designed to safeguard African music and intellectual property in developing AI environments.
A public panel examining AI’s impact on the creative industries will be included in the programme. The session will explore the effects of AI technologies on artists, record labels, and rights holders, as well as challenges related to attribution and ownership of AI-generated content.
Panel participants include Steffen Holly of Fraunhofer IDMT, Marco Erler of Lausen Law, producer Henrik Schwarz, Trenton Birch, and Ollie Stoller.
The conference will also present the Creative Weight Attribution (CWA) model, developed by AIxchange. This system uses audio similarity and attribution technology to analyse the influence of copyrighted works on AI-generated music.
Organisers state the framework is based on existing audio analysis and signal-processing research, including technology related to Fraunhofer’s digital audio standards work.
The conference was initiated to facilitate connections between African music professionals and international industry representatives through networking, education, and technology-focused discussions.
