That Call of Duty: Black Ops ad featuring Kobe Bryant and Jimmy Kimmel is selling more than just copies of Treyarch's war game. It's also bringing in cash for The Rolling Stones, thanks to the spot's use of "Gimme Shelter."
Billboard runs the numbers of the Stones uptick in sales, noting that track sales of "Gimme Shelter" from the album Let It Bleed have risen from about 2,000 per week to 11,000 during the week of Black Ops. Tracks sales for "Sympathy for the Devil" from Beggars Banquet also got a shot in the arm, thanks to its inclusion in the game.
Not a bad deal for the Stones, who also profit from licensing the tracks to Activision for the Cold War era Call of Duty. Sure, it's not the $650 million and counting that Activision Blizzard has made from Black Ops sales, but it's a nice chunk of change.
Rolling Stones Team Up with 'Call Of Duty: Black Ops' Videogame [Billboard - thanks, Mike!]