Babatunde Makinde, an A&R strategist and founder of A&R Duty, is advancing a talent-development initiative aimed at preparing the next generation of artist and repertoire (A&R) professionals across Africa.
The initiative, THE A&R FOUNDRY 2027, is the flagship programme of A&R Foundation and is powered by A&R Duty, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform focused on talent discovery and A&R workflows.
The programme is planned to reach aspiring A&R professionals in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, with a focus on building the skills and knowledge needed to identify artists, develop their careers and connect them with opportunities in the music business.
A&R professionals play a role in the development of music careers by identifying emerging artists, assessing recordings, guiding creative direction and connecting musicians with producers, managers, record labels and other industry players.
However, the work requires more than an ability to recognise talent. It also involves understanding the music business, building relationships and developing strategies that can help artists turn their potential into careers.
Makinde’s initiative seeks to address this need by combining technology with professional education. While A&R Duty is being developed to support talent discovery and A&R workflows, A&R Foundation focuses on educating and developing people who work in the music industry.
THE A&R FOUNDRY brings these two areas together through a programme designed to prepare aspiring A&R professionals for the demands of the business.
“A sustainable music industry needs more than talented artists. It also needs skilled professionals, credible processes and stronger pathways into the business,” said Makinde.
“Developing A&R’s is an investment in the systems that help creative talent move from potential to opportunity.”
The programme’s planned reach across five African countries reflects an effort to develop A&R capacity across different music markets. Each country has its own artists, audiences, industry relationships and routes to commercial success, making knowledge of local markets important to artist development.
A&R Foundation said details about the programme, including eligibility requirements and selection procedures, would be published through its official channels as they are finalised.
The organisation is also inviting record labels, universities, music companies, technology businesses and sponsors to discuss partnerships for the 2027 cohort and the programme’s expansion.
Makinde brings more than a decade of experience across A&R, talent management, artist development and music marketing to the initiative. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing and is developing A&R Duty as a platform to support talent discovery and A&R workflows.
Through the Foundation and THE A&R FOUNDRY, he is extending this work to professional education, with the aim of helping more people build careers in A&R.
The initiative places the people responsible for discovering and developing artists at the centre of efforts to strengthen Africa’s music industry. Its progress will depend on programme delivery, partnerships and the opportunities created for participants to apply their knowledge within the business.
