[Frosty]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I would imagine that was the case. I think they were using Stairway to Heaven as the driver of Led Zeppelin IV, which in turn generated the majority of revenue.

Would IV have sold 30 million copies without Stairway? IMO, no.

It looks like they just added up the sales of the four Led Zeppelin albums that Stairway appeared on:

In 1972, Zeppelin and its label, Atlantic Records, sparred over the band’s refusal to release “Stairway” as a single. But as a result, the public had to buy the album, known as Led Zeppelin IV, to get the song, snapping it up as if it were a single. All told, “Stairway” has appeared on four Zeppelin albums, sales of which have earned Atlantic and the band $500 million, including $56 million for last year’s downloadable album, Mother*ship. Sales of 2 million DVDs featuring live performances of “Stairway” have brought the band and the distributor, Warner Bros., $48 million. Last fall, Zeppelin, surprisingly, signed a deal *believed to be worth $2 million with Verizon Wireless that made ringtones, alert tones, and full-song downloads of "Stairway" available. The band, publisher, and label will share a 10 percent royalty on every download.

http://upstart.bizjournals.com/cultu...es.html?page=2