You’ve been playing in rock bands for a while, honing your chops, paying your dues. You’re hungry and passionate, convinced that one day you’ll graduate from bars to clubs to arenas and beyond. But what if it didn’t have to be such a dogfight? What if there were a way to cash in, fast? That’s the idea & Pepsi and Zhejiang TV are banking on with their Battle of the Bands show. But is selling your soul to China’s corporate machine any worse than, say, signing with a local indie label?

“I’m in this competition so more people can know me, see me and hear me,” explains Wayne, lead guitarist for Guangxi hard rock quintet Danke. Wayne’s band may not win the ¥1 million prize, but he’s still playing in 10 million households each week, making his impact far greater than underground acts slugging it out at mid-size venues.

Of course, mainstream labels may limit artistic control; singing with an indie label should ensure your band receives complete creative license. But wait, in Shanghai, singing with a local label means you may have to change your sound, your style, your hair (Little Nature) and even your band name (MOMO / Happy Strings), in order to fit the target demographic.

Although current competition leaders Focus 5, a non-threatening pop-rock outfit, may not have the flashiest licks, they’re on the verge of winning a trip to Los Angeles to work with über-producer Howard Benson. In Shanghai, local label support ensures only a bus ride to Songjiang. And that album you were hoping to release? Give it a couple years.

Even if you’re not a fan of corporate rock, don’t condemn the unknown and misunderstood. Several local bands, some of whom willingly participated in Pepsi advertisements, have lambasted all participants of the competition, labeling them sell-outs. But did anyone criticize PK-14 or Hedgehog for accepting cash from Converse? A small group of dissenters is unhappy with the quality of content receiving such exposure. But local labels also pimp out their artists, just to johns with thinner wallets.

Regardless, Pepsi’s winner will have no time to worry about any of this. They’ll be too busy counting their money on world tours, enjoying groupies and drinking Pepsi.