In my mind and the minds of many rock fans, hard rock icons Led Zeppelin haven't gone anywhere. Jimmy Page's titanic riffs have provided the framework for much of today's hard rock and metal (whether it's grunge or Wolfmother). As for Robert Plant, his avalanche-causing vocal style continues to influence the likes of Chris Cornell and others. John Paul Jones was responsible for one of the most memorable bass lines of all time in "Dazed and Confused." And John Bonham...probably the greatest rock drummer of all time.

With the exception of their MTV "Unledded" special in 1994 and a few occasional reunions, Zeppelin haven't done much since they have disbanded in 1980 after Bonham's death.

But in the past 10 years, their music has popped up in some unlikely places. One of the first and unlikely sightings was when Jimmy Page let P Diddy (then named Puff Daddy) use his riff from the Indian-influenced epic "Kashmir" as the melody for his track "Come With Me" on the remake of "Godzilla" in 1998.

Talk about one of rock's most disappointing moments?

Then, there was not much of a peep from Led, until I saw a commercial for Cadillac and heard the familiar intro to "Rock and Roll" from "Led Zeppelin IV." Of course, this was after techno-pop nerd Moby proved that artists can actually use licensing to make money and get their music to a wider audience (which in turn could lead to listeners buying a band's record, which will lead to them making even more money).

Led Zeppelin reunited with Plant, Page, Paul Jones and John Bonham's son Jason on drums for a supposed one-time performance on Dec. 9 in London, England for a tribute concert to Ahmet Ertegun. While the reviews of the performance have been resoundingly positive, recent years have taken much of the mysticism out of rock gods.

Why? Because Led Zeppelin obviously still wants to make a buck.

Want proof? The band's complete catalogue, a holy grail of music comparable to The Beatles, has recently been made available for purchase on iTunes. Plus, there recent deal with the NFL and ESPN has guaranteed that the most popular sport in America can have a soundtrack of one of rock's most reverred bands. Now, you can hear a snippet of "The Ocean" or any number of Zeppelin classics to accompany a blowout of the Chiefs (which could also serve as a great promotional tool for their recent hits collection "Mothership," which in turn will give them more money). Plus, if you have seen those ticket prices for their show on Dec. 9, you will be convinced that they aren't necessarily pricing them for every fan's budget.

This is the way that most reunions work. No band can ignore the power of simple economics and profit margins. Bands like The Police, Van Halen and others wouldn't supply fans with a reunion if there wasn't a demand to see them rock out once again, no matter how weathered and worn down they might appear.

As a Led Zeppelin fan, I hope they tour again. I would probably get over my fear of needles and donate plasma weekly to save up the money to pay for the inevitably high ticket price if they came within proximity. Just don't think that they are reuniting because "the magic is back" or any other mystical reason.

When it comes to musicians trying to make money, even for one of America' seminal rock groups, the song remains the same.