For future reference, this is how component DLLs are loaded:
1. The core loads the component DLL using LoadLibrary().
2. The core retrieves a pointer to the foobar2000_get_interface() function and calls it to obtain a pointer to the DLL's foobar2000_client object.
3. After checking that the component's version is compatible with the core, the core calls foobar2000_client::get_service_list(). It also sets the component DLL's path and sets the stored configuration data (if any).

typedef foobar2000_client* (__cdecl *MYPROC)(foobar2000_api* p_api, HINSTANCE hIns); 
 
HINSTANCE hinstLib; 
MYPROC fooProc; 
BOOL fFreeResult, fRunTimeLinkSuccess = FALSE; 
 
hinstLib = LoadLibrary(TEXT("components\\foo_bpm.dll"));
 
if (hinstLib != NULL) 
{ 
    fooProc= (MYPROC) GetProcAddress(hinstLib, "foobar2000_get_interface"); 
 
    if (NULL != fooProc) 
    {
        fRunTimeLinkSuccess = TRUE;
        console::formatter() << "Accessing foo_bpm.dll OK";

        // I'm not sure what to pass into foobar2000_get_interface here
        // foobar2000_client_impl causes a compiler error, even though the foobar2000_component_client project is included in the solution
        foobar2000_client_impl client* = (foobar2000_client_impl) (MYPROC) (NULL, NULL);
    }

    fFreeResult = FreeLibrary(hinstLib); 
} 

if (!fRunTimeLinkSuccess) 
    console::formatter() << "Failed to access foo_bpm.dll";

void somefunc()
{
  service_instance_array_t<componentversion> array;
  for (t_size index = 0; index < array.get_size(); ++index)
  {
    // use array[index]
  }
}

That sounds like a darn fine idea. I shall add it to my to do list.

I'm working on a component for managing the installation and updating of 3rd party foobar2000 components.