A&R Listening Room Season 2 Partners With TurnTable Charts to Amplify Artiste Discovery

Mide Ajayi’s artiste-development platform expands its vision for African music talent with TurnTable Charts joining as Media Partner

What began as a listening room has evolved into a broader conversation about what it takes to discover, develop and build sustainable careers for the next generation of African music talent.

That vision is now entering a new chapter.

A\&R Listening Room, founded by Nigerian music executive, A\&R and artiste development advocate Mide Ajayi, has announced a media partnership with TurnTable ahead of the second edition of A\&R Listening Room, scheduled to take place in Lagos this October.

As the media partner, TurnTable will support the visibility and storytelling around the programme, amplifying conversations around music discovery, emerging talent and the evolving African music ecosystem.

The partnership reflects a shared interest in creating greater visibility for emerging artistes and highlighting the people, ideas and conversations shaping the future of African music.

From a Listening Session to an artiste Development Platform

For Mide Ajayi, A\&R Listening Room was born from a simple observation: Africa has no shortage of talent, but access remains a major challenge.

Across his years working around music, entertainment, talent management and artiste development, Ajayi encountered artistes with strong creative potential who often lacked access to the right guidance, industry knowledge, networks and opportunities.

That experience shaped the foundation of A\&R Listening Room.

Rather than creating another showcase where artistes simply perform and leave, Ajayi wanted to build a platform where talent could be heard, understood, developed and connected.

The first edition attracted more than 400 artiste registrations, eventually bringing together selected artistes and industry professionals for music listening, feedback, conversations and networking.

The experience laid the foundation for what A\&R Listening Room is becoming today.

“Talent is not the problem,” Ajayi has consistently emphasised. “The real challenge is access — access to the right people, the right information, honest feedback and opportunities.”

Building Season Two

A\&R Listening Room Season 2 represents a significant expansion of the original concept.

The 2026 programme is being structured around an A\&R Development Academy, Music Development Camp, industry sessions, networking opportunities and a two-day conference and showcase.

The programme will bring together emerging artistes, producers, songwriters, aspiring A\&Rs, music executives, managers and other creative professionals.

The objective is not simply to create music, but to help participants understand the wider ecosystem around building an artiste.

From sound and creative direction to branding, audience development, music business, collaboration, distribution and career strategy, the programme is designed to expose participants to different parts of the industry while creating meaningful relationships.

For Ajayi, this distinction is important.

“The camp produces music. The academy develops future A\&Rs. The conference creates industry access. The network creates long-term opportunities.”

Why TurnTable?

The partnership with TurnTable adds a media and storytelling dimension to the A\&R Listening Room experience.

As emerging artistes navigate the music industry, visibility and access to the right audiences remain important parts of building a career.

Through the partnership, TurnTable will help spotlight the programme, its participants and the wider conversations around artiste development and music discovery.

For A\&R Listening Room, the partnership reinforces the importance of connecting promising talent with platforms that can help tell their stories and amplify their work.

Discovery Should Be the Beginning

One of the central ideas behind A\&R Listening Room is that discovery should not end with simply finding a good song.

What happens after the first listen?

An artiste may have a great song, but what happens next? How do they develop their sound? How do they understand their audience? Who should be around them? What opportunities are available? How can they build a sustainable career around their creativity?

These questions sit at the heart of Ajayi’s approach to artiste development.

The Founder Behind the Vision

Mide Ajayi is a Nigerian music executive, A\&R and artiste development advocate with extensive experience across entertainment, media, talent management, PR and creative development.

He is also the founder of Superbold Media, a creative and entertainment company working across media, events, PR, talent management and artiste development.

Over the years, Ajayi has worked around artistes, creatives and entertainment professionals across different areas of the industry, experiences that have shaped his approach to talent development.

A\&R Listening Room represents a more focused expression of that experience.

Rather than simply identifying talent, Ajayi is building an ecosystem around the development process.

His belief is that the next generation of African music talent needs more than exposure.

They need education, mentorship, industry access, collaboration and the opportunity to build relationships that can continue beyond a single event.

That philosophy is captured in the platform’s guiding message: Discover. Develop. Connect. Elevate.

More Than an Event

As A\&R Listening Room enters its second season, the ambition extends beyond October.

Ajayi sees the platform evolving into a long-term ecosystem for African music talent, with opportunities for artiste development, A\&R education, music discovery, industry partnerships and expansion into other African markets.

The TurnTable partnership is part of that broader direction.

And with the countdown to October underway, A\&R Listening Room Season 2 is preparing to bring that vision into the room.

About A\&R Listening Room

A\&R Listening Room is an artiste development and music discovery platform founded by Mide Ajayi, focused on discovering, developing and connecting the next generation of African music talent with the people, knowledge and opportunities they need to build sustainable careers.

About Mide Ajayi

Mide Ajayi is a Nigerian music executive, A\&R, talent manager and artiste development advocate. He is the founder of A\&R Listening Room and Superbold Media, with experience spanning entertainment, media, artiste development, talent management, PR and creative projects.

A&R Listening Room Season 2

19–31 October 2026 | Lagos, Nigeria

Discover. Develop. Connect. Elevate.