In exploration of the future of music, the Boston music and technology communities joined together Monday night at the annual Music 2.0 meet up at Microsoft (News - Alert) New England Research and Development Center.

On the Microsoft NERD Center podium, 16 speakers gave talks on business models to relationship building, digital tech to audio tools, data analytics to legal resources and more, according to bostinno.com.

Music 2.0 Producer Charles McEnerney kicked off the evening with a review of results from the Future of Music Coalition “Money from Music” research project. ?“Money from Music” analyzes the revenue streams of working musicians based on online surveys and offline interviews, which reflects the impact of technology on the music industry and the empowerment of the individual musician.

Nancy Baym, author of “Personal Connections in the Digital Age,” talked about the opportunities that digital communication gives artists to develop strong relationships with fans. Baym explained that separating your personal life and public life can be challenging for musicians in the age of Facebook, Twitter (News - Alert), and Google+ as an online relationship makes it easy for artists to get too much information from fans.

Other talks included one by Jeff Sable, the vice president of sales from Moontoast, a social commerce and analytics platform that enables clients like musicians and retailers to track the ripples of social activity that come from fans who evangelize for the bands and brands they love.

There are few other upcoming Boston area music and technology events this spring including The Together Music Festival, a week-long SXSW (News - Alert)-like event starting April 2 that will feature, Photek, and celebrates the innovative electronic music culture. During the day, Together is a conference with discussion panels, demos of musical gear, workshops, and a trade show. At night, Together puts on a several shows from local rising stars and world renowned artists. 

Rethink Music held at the Hynes Convention Center on April 22-24 takes a broad view of the music industry, discussing the huge challenges it faces. Rethink Music features a keynote by marketing maven and bestselling author Seth Godin, a weekend hackfest at the Microsoft NERD Center, and a performance by Junior Boys.

?Boston has all the right ingredients to produce a significant Music 2.0 environment. With colleges like Berklee School of Music; game makers like Harmonix (creators of Rock Band); and music tech innovators like Echonest and iZotope, the future of music technology is a bright one.