Mariah Carey surely needs no introduction as one of the world’s biggest ever pop stars! Her song “All I Want For Christmas” is one of the most popular holiday hits.
The festive hit was released three decades ago, but it has stood the test of time.
Every holiday season, one song dominates the airwaves, department store playlists and festive parties: Mariah Carey’s 1994 hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Despite being released three decades ago, Carey is still reaping the benefits of the record-breaking Christmas classic, pulling in an estimated millions of dollars in royalties each year.
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Mariah has admitted she’s still surprised by the success of the song, which she began writing on a little Casio keyboard in the early nineties.
“My goal was to do something timeless, so it didn’t feel like the nineties” – she said previously, adding: “I really, truly love the holidays. It’s not fake.”
How much money does Mariah Carey earn from the song?
Each year, Carey earns an estimated $2.5 to $3 million from royalties for the song, according to data from Forbes and The Economist.
As Hugh Grant’s character says in About A Boy, if you can write a great Christmas song, you’ll never have to work another day in your life.
As of 2017, the song had generated over $60 million through royalties since its release, according to an estimate by The Economist. It is the most-streamed holiday track of all time.
In November each year, Carey shares a video on social media informing her followers that the holiday season can begin. This year’s offering showed Carey disciplining an unruly elf for stealing her lipstick, singing the phrase “it’s time” in a high-pitched voice before riding off in a sleigh.
“It blows my mind that ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ has endured different eras of the music industry” – she said.
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Outside of All I Want For Christmas, Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody is said to draw in £500,000 to £1 million each year and Last Christmas by Wham! is believed to earn between £300,000 to £470,000 every time the festive season rolls around.
Christmas songs earn royalties every time they’re played, whether it’s streaming services, on the radio or as part of TV adverts, although the way the royalties are split between the artist and other people involved in making the song depends entirely on the song.
Below you can listen to Mariah Carey’s iconic song “All I Want For Christmas Is You”.