CMJ has become something of an epic, Christmas-like event. Anticipated for months, planned meticulously, we’re still relieved when it’s over.

Besides the music, a favorite feature is the panels. Though the topics vary little from year to year, the music industry changes so fast that the content almost completely evolves. It’s always helpful to gain the perspective of those with their fingers on the pulse.

Don’t miss Friday’s keynote: Glassnote Entertainment Group founder and president Daniel Glass in conversation with infamous MTV host Matt Pinfield.  Glass’s company went from hijacking the lobby of the Waldorf-Astoria for meetings to scoring big with Mumford & Sons, the Temper Trap and an impressive stable.

The CMJ Film Festival includes Killing Bono, in which Irish rocker Neil McCormick tries in vain to reach superstardom while watching his schoolmates blow sky-high in U2. The premiere included a Q&A with director Nick Hamm.

The best part about CMJ is wandering from venue to venue for the music, particularly Brite Futures, Penguin Prison, Gotye, Tropical Popsicle, buzz band GIVERS, and Boy & Bear, a band so eclectic-sounding that anyone can find something about them to love. On the Lower East Side, drift in and out of shows and pop in on whoever’s playing. Schedules be damned; even if the plan excludes an amazing act, there’s still the glorious discovery that only a festival can ignite.

—Allison Johnelle Boron