On our minds and on our playlists

The music industry may be in a painful transitional stage as the big companies scramble to figure out how to retain market share and artists experiment with the joys and frustrations of having more power over their individual destinies than ever. But a few elements of pursuing success as a musician are evergreen. One of those is networking. The opportunity to meet and be met by industry professionals and fellow musicians can sometimes be the difference between having a gig and toiling eternally in the garage. That opportunity will present itself next Thursday and Friday in the form of the second annual Boston Music Conference. Held at the Roxy nightclub on Tremont Street, the event will offer a talent showcase, workshops, and several panel discussions covering topics ranging from breaking into the Latin music market to songwriting to branding. Representatives from major and indie labels, publishing companies, and digital distributors will be on hand to offer words of wisdom. No doubt of particular interest to local bands will be the Friday panel titled “How to Get Your Music into Rock Band.’’ Reps from Harmonix, the local company responsible for the popular video game - in the news of late - will be on hand to explain how to upload files for sale in the game’s online music store. For more information go to www.bostonmusicconference.com or call 617-834-0552.