diff --git a/beets/plugins.py b/beets/plugins.py
index 3a7049c10..8eb41a3ef 100644
--- a/beets/plugins.py
+++ b/beets/plugins.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 import logging
 import itertools
+import traceback
 
 # Global logger.
 log = logging.getLogger('beets')
@@ -44,13 +45,18 @@ def load_plugins(names=()):
     for name in itertools.chain(names, DEFAULT_PLUGINS):
         modname = '%s.%s' % (PLUGIN_NAMESPACE, name)
         try:
-            __import__(modname, None, None)
-        except ImportError, exc:
-            # Again, this is hacky:
-            if exc.args[0].endswith(modname):
-                log.warn('plugin %s not found' % name)
-            else:
-                raise
+            try:
+                __import__(modname, None, None)
+            except ImportError, exc:
+                # Again, this is hacky:
+                if exc.args[0].endswith(' ' + name):
+                    log.warn('** plugin %s not found' % name)
+                else:
+                    raise
+        except:
+            log.warn('** error loading plugin %s' % name)
+            log.warn(traceback.format_exc())
+
 
 _instances = {}
 def find_plugins():
diff --git a/beets/ui/__init__.py b/beets/ui/__init__.py
index 29546c79a..e504d187f 100644
--- a/beets/ui/__init__.py
+++ b/beets/ui/__init__.py
@@ -339,7 +339,15 @@ def main():
     """Run the main command-line interface for beets."""
     # Get the default subcommands.
     from beets.ui.commands import default_commands
-    
+
+    # Read defaults from config file.
+    config = ConfigParser.SafeConfigParser()
+    config.read(CONFIG_FILE)
+
+    # Load requested plugins.
+    plugnames = config_val(config, 'beets', 'plugins', '')
+    plugins.load_plugins(plugnames.split())
+
     # Construct the root parser.
     commands = list(default_commands)
     commands += plugins.commands()
@@ -354,10 +362,6 @@ def main():
     # Parse the command-line!
     options, subcommand, suboptions, subargs = parser.parse_args()
     
-    # Read defaults from config file.
-    config = ConfigParser.SafeConfigParser()
-    config.read(CONFIG_FILE)
-    
     # Open library file.
     libpath = options.libpath or \
         config_val(config, 'beets', 'library', DEFAULT_LIBRARY)