Aerosmith has made more money from Guitar Hero than from any of their albums.
According to the head of Activision, Aerosmith has made more money from licensing their songs and image for the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game than from any one of their albums.
This should really come as no surprise. Even back in the recording industry’s most profitable days, bands were almost always making more money from live appearances, merchandise, and (if you go back far enough), selling sheet music. From a business perspective, bands like Aerosmith have always been t-shirt salesmen more than record salesmen.
Sweet licensing deals for everything like video games, movie soundtracks, and even roller coasters is where the real money is at.