-Rockfour will perform at Birdy’s on Friday at 11:15 p.m.-

Martin Kierszenbaum, a senior vice president of A&R for Interscope/ Geffen/A&M Records, will participate in an artist development panel Friday afternoon at the Vogue. Other labels represented at the summit include Elektra, Lava and many smaller labels.

Still, Benchmark Records’ Josh Baker advises artists not to expect to be signed on the spot at MMS. “The summit is all about networking,” he says. “It’s a good chance to get your music in the hands of some important people. But it’s also a great way to network with other bands.”

He says, “The summit is what you make of it. If you just show up, play your set and then go home, then it probably won’t be a lot of help to you. But if you use it for networking and promotion, it could help you out a lot.”

The summit this year is foregoing using a downtown hotel as its base, preferring to hold the workshops and panel discussions at the venues themselves.

For music fans, the opportunities are endless to catch emerging acts, both local and regional. A $25 wristband will allow entry to all of the summit showcases from Thursday through Saturday. Wristband tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and Ticketmaster.com. A badge that will allow entry to all showcases and panel discussions is available for $40 in advance via Ticketmaster or for $50 beginning Thursday. Tickets can be exchanged for wristbands or badges Thursday and Friday afternoons in front of the Vogue and Saturday in front of the Rathskeller.

For a handy take-home version of the MMS schedule, pick up the paper version of NUVO this week. For more information on the summit and a list of bands and showtimes, visit midwestmusicsummit.com.