For legions of aspiring rock stars, there’s no greater ambition than to achieve mainstream musical success. Whether for fame, fortune or fornication, the very spirit of rock music is conducive to rising to the top, and at a feverish pace.

Other artists seek solidarity in remaining independent. A move to mainstream success is a sign of weakness, or at the very least, a blow to one’s artistic credibility. The spirit of punk sought to fight the corporate machine, but bands that identify themselves with the movement today (American Idiot, anyone?) have wholly embraced it.

It’s a question that bands have puzzled over since the days of Buddy Holly: Is “selling out” a beast of burden or a crushing blow to artistic integrity?

Our own local scene is steeped in indie versus major label history. Kurt Cobain rejected it; Elliott Smith shied away from it; Eddie Vedder accepted it. Now that the last generation of former local indie-idols is now on full glorious display at Starbucks — Modest Mouse, the Shins and Death Cab for Cutie, for example — what do the rising stars of today feel about the ages-old dilemma?

“In an ideal world, artists wouldn’t have to compromise their sound or musical integrity to be signed with a major label,” said Andrew Zelman, guitarist and keyboardist for Seattle’s indie-electro outfit Man Party. “Unfortunately, in today’s musical climate, this isn’t always the case, especially for new bands. Some artists, like Beck, are given free reign over their music because of proven results.”

A struggle for many acts is maintaining a balance between success and artistic direction. Naturally, the consensus is that major label funding is beneficial, provided musicians are allowed the flexibility to realize their vision to its fullest, unrestrained extent.

“There’s always that whole ‘sellout’ issue,” said Preston Kristof of Tacoma-based emo-rockers Ghost Runner on Third. “But for me, I look at something like the new Against Me! full-length, which was their first major label release, and hear an honest progression in the direction of what they’d been playing as an indie band for years.”

Should lightning strike and an independent act finally find themselves on the brink of impending mainstream success, it can be difficult to assert artistic will.

“I think a lot of bands get signed to a major, get a ton of time to record, and end up making different music than they did when they had no studio time,” said Jarrod Bramson of the Port Townsend experimental folk trio The Solvents. “Then people accuse them of selling out.”

For some, even getting signed to a smaller label is a fantasy. Having artistic control is more of a priority than achieving even a minimal degree of recorded success.

“We can’t even get an indie to put out our records,” Bramson said. “I have no idea what you need to do to make it in that world. I’m sure there is a lot of pressure to make hits. I’ve never felt that.”

Bramson, like many independent artists, prefers to forge his own career rather than allow record management to do the hard work (for example printing records, publicity, booking gigs).

“I’ve always done it 100 percent my way,” he said. “I’ve always been in charge, from the writing all the way to putting the CD covers in the cases. It would be hard to give up the control.”

Ghost, a readily marketable band, prefers a collective approach to DIY.

“When you’re an unsigned band, you pretty much have to do everything yourself,” Kristof said. “That includes booking shows, setting up studio time, designing show fliers, etc. Thankfully, our singer is a professional graphic designer, so that makes things a lot easier on the rest of us in some regards. … The nature of it all is rather inconsistent, though, and that gets a bit annoying.”

Once considered the holy grail of musical success, the glamour of a major label deal is increasingly marginalized with Internet piracy and the success of music-sharing portals like MySpace, now the most successful method of promotional distribution. So, how have things changed in the age of the Internet?

“Having played shows in the pre-MySpace era, things have gotten a lot easier these days, because people can find you to offer you random shows or you can find them to set up shows in a very convenient fashion,” Kristof said.

Zelman sees major label distribution as a phenomenon that has run its course and like many independent bands, would be hesitant to submit to an industry big wig.

“Given the current situation with Internet piracy being what it is and the ongoing slump in record sales, major labels are seeming a bit like a sinking ship,” he said. “There are huge problems facing the entire music industry today, and from what I’ve read, a lot of labels seem completely behind on the times. By signing with a major label, we would essentially be attaching ourselves and our fates to this backwards and increasingly outdated way of distributing music.”

Even a sinking ship, however, is relevant in a sea without other vessels. Alternative distribution (iTunes, MySpace, Rhapsody, etc.), in the meantime, is the nautical equivalent of lifeboats.

“Like it or not, music from major labels is most of what is being listened to in this country,” Zelman said. “If the music scene being pushed forth by major labels seems to foster creativity and innovation, then more kids will be inspired to pick up instruments of their own, spawning more and more good music. However, if the industry is busy churning out songs designed to sell ringtones, then the music scene is doomed.”