By Sara Pocius · Updated July 2026
A great music conference is the perfect place to connect with other composers, meet the creatives looking to hire you, and get a read on where the industry is headed. It’s also where a lot of professional relationships actually start: a five-minute panel Q&A or hallway conversation that turns into a real gig months later.
Whether you write for film, TV, video games, or license your work for sync, there’s a conference out there that fits your specialty. Some are in-person only; some now offer hybrid formats with recorded sessions you can watch afterward. Here are 10 great conferences for composers to consider, organized chronologically so you can plan your calendar. Dates below reflect each conference’s next upcoming edition: 2026 for the second half of the year, 2027 for early-year events that already happened this year.
Super MAGFest — January
Super MAGFest is less a traditional industry conference than a 24-hour celebration of game music, with demos and performances running around the clock all weekend. But that’s exactly why the networking works. The event is non-profit, so you’ll connect directly with game makers and fans without any gatekeepers. There are plenty of guest speakers and fan activities for gamers, too.
2027: January 7–10, 2027 at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, MD.
Sync Summit — February (LA) & October (NYC)
Sync Summit is the industry-standard gathering for music licensing across TV, film, brands, ads, games, apps, and streaming platforms. Two days of panels, keynotes, and demos with 100+ speakers from music supervision, ad agencies, tech, sync agencies, and production. If you write for sync (placing your music into visual media), this is one of the highest-signal rooms you can be in.
2027 LA: February 8–9, 2027.
Also on the 2026 calendar: AI+Sync Symposium NYC (July 14, 2026) and fall NYC edition (October 1–2, 2026).
ASCAP Experience — February
ASCAP is one of the biggest performance rights organizations, so it’s no surprise their annual conference for songwriters and composers features sessions with some of the biggest names in music. A one-day event with top songwriters, producers, composers, music publishers, thought leaders, and the ASCAP team, discussing real-world topics that matter to the future of music creation.
2027: Late February 2027 in Los Angeles. Exact date TBA (ASCAP typically announces in fall). Notable 2026 speakers included Stephen Schwartz (Wicked), Mark Sonnenblick (KPop Demon Hunters), and Justin Tranter, giving a sense of the caliber of talent.
GDC Festival of Gaming (formerly Game Developers Conference) — March
GDC (rebranded to GDC Festival of Gaming starting 2026) brings game developers together in San Francisco every year. It’s the world’s biggest conference for gaming pros, so it’s the ideal place to make connections with developers looking for composers. Hundreds of companies represented, deep industry insight, and dedicated audio sessions for game composers, sound designers, and audio programmers.
2027: March 1–5, 2027 at Moscone Center, San Francisco.
A2IM Indie Week — June
A2IM sponsors Indie Week, a four-day international conference and networking event aimed at maximizing the global impact of independent music. Featuring keynotes, panels, exclusive networking sessions, and forward-looking programming on ownership, AI, fan monetization, and the evolving economics of independence. Indie Week has historically drawn attendance of over 1,200 participants from 30+ countries.
2027: June 2027 in New York. Exact dates TBA.
SoundTrack_Cologne — July
SoundTrack_Cologne is Europe’s leading conference for music and sound in film, games, and media. 60+ round tables, panels, workshops, and networking events focused on the culture, law, marketing, and technique of media music. Includes a dedicated Composing for Film Day, European Talent Competition, and pairs with the SEE THE SOUND film festival. If you write for European productions, or want to, this is the room.
2027: Mid-July 2027 in Cologne, Germany (24th edition). Exact dates TBA. SEE THE SOUND film festival typically follows immediately after.
Production Music Conference (PMC) — October
Sponsored by the Production Music Association (PMA), PMC brings together emerging and established composers, major labels, independent publishers, sync agencies, and technology partners. Past sessions have covered everything from composing a series of cues to understanding rights and licensing. PMC draws composers, publishers, music libraries, and technology companies from around the world. Panels are streamed live via the virtual conference platform and mobile app, so remote attendance is a real option.
2026: October 6–8, 2026 at Hilton Universal City, Los Angeles.
World Soundtrack Awards at Film Fest Gent — October
The World Soundtrack Awards (WSA) is the most prestigious international ceremony dedicated to film and television music, held annually at Film Fest Gent in Belgium. The WSA Film Music Days bring together the leading names in international film music for three days of panels, screenings, and the awards ceremony itself. Guest of Honor for 2026: Hildur Guðnadóttir (Joker, TÁR, Chernobyl). If you write for screen, this is where the global film music community gathers.
2026: October 8–10, 2026 at the 53rd Film Fest Gent, Ghent, Belgium.
GameSoundCon — October
GameSoundCon typically features more than 70 sessions covering everything you need to know about composing for video games, VR, and other cutting-edge media. There’s a dedicated track to get traditional film and TV composers up to speed on game audio workflows, plus research presentations, speed mentoring, and more, all packed into two days. Fully hybrid: attend in person or remote, with full access to live sessions and recordings for 12 months afterward.
2026: October 20–21, 2026 at the Marriott Convention Center, Burbank, CA.
Pro Tip: Are you a G.A.N.G. member? The Game Audio Network Guild offers a discount on GameSoundCon passes.
ReelCrafter is a proud sponsor of GameSoundCon 2026. Come say hi if you’re there.
TAXI Road Rally — November
The TAXI Road Rally is TAXI’s annual convention, and it’s completely free for TAXI members — your membership includes Road Rally passes. Sessions cover trailer and promo composing, film & TV song pitch feedback with music supervisors, and licensing panels with A&R, publishers, and music libraries. TAXI helps independent composers get their music to record labels, film & TV music supervisors, publishers, ad agencies, and video game companies. If you’re a composer looking to break into sync, this is a legitimate entry point with no ticket cost beyond membership.
2026: November 2026 in Los Angeles (check the TAXI site for exact dates and registration).
Wrapping up
No matter what your specialty or professional goals are, there’s a conference on this list that fits. Some will pay off in a year, some in five. Most of the work is showing up, having something ready to share, and following up.
Speaking of having something ready to share: once you sign up for a conference, make sure your reel is ready to impress the new connections you’ll make. ReelCrafter is built for exactly that: a branded reel per project or pitch, with per-recipient share links and analytics so you know what happened after you sent the link.
Now get out there and network.
Dates and venues confirmed via each conference’s official website; check the conference site before booking travel.
