- How much does the Queen of Christmas make a year for all I want for Christmas?
- The song managed to shoot straight to the top of various lists
- Carey’s success with the song is largely due to her involvement at nearly every level of its creation
How much does the Queen of Christmas make a year for all I want for Christmas?
It has been thirty years since this song was released, and we know the lyrics even if we do not know the song itself. Every year, when November comes, we wait for Mariah Carey to defrost and appear on our screens and in our ears.
This is iconic as the M. Carey herself, and the song is a thing that every Holiday season cannot happen without, but some are also sick of this song too. Radio stations, movies, malls, streets and other places all spread the joy using the song known by many[1].
The song became more than just a festive tradition. It has been used on various meme videos and trends online, and the singer herself became a Queen of Christmas, so her face and voice get used in games, movies, stories, and memes. She even participates in them with funny videos of her defrosting at the end of November.
However, many questions if the artist herself is not sick of the same song for so long. As many of us already are. How much money does she make? That is a lot. I guess 3 million dollars each year for one song is a reason not to get sick of it.
When Mariah Carey released "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in 1994, she had no idea it would make her the Queen of Christmas for decades to come. Since then, the song has brought her $60 million in royalties, according to Forbes, and keeps adding millions to her fortune every year. Its popularity has inspired countless covers by stars like Ariana Grande and Michael Bublé and has become a holiday staple in pop culture, even appearing in movies like Love Actually.
The song managed to shoot straight to the top of various lists
On December 13, the song made history as the first-holiday tune to hit 2 billion streams on Spotify. “This is beyond incredible," Carey said to PEOPLE. "I’m so thankful to everyone on Spotify who’s made this song a part of their holiday celebrations year after year." It’s a fitting milestone, as Carey shared with PEOPLE in 2021: "Christmas really is my favorite time of the year."
Mariah Carey’s holiday classic, All I Want for Christmas Is You, has been a gift that keeps on giving — both to her fans and her bank account. When the song first debuted in 1994 as part of her Merry Christmas album, it was an instant global hit, topping charts in 26 countries.
Over the years, it has become one of the most streamed and celebrated holiday songs ever, earning Carey $60 million in royalties early on. Today, Forbes estimates she makes about $2.5 million annually in royalties, with some sources like The New York Post suggesting that number could be as high as $3 million.
It climbs back up the Billboard Hot 100 each holiday season and dominates Spotify's holiday playlists. In 2021, it became the first holiday single to earn the prestigious RIAA Diamond Award, marking 10 million in combined sales and streams. Two years later, it was added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry, an honor Carey described as "beyond belief" on social media. "I did not even imagine this would happen when writing and recording this song!" she wrote[2].
Carey’s success with the song is largely due to her involvement at nearly every level of its creation
The sum is not for performance or the creation of the song only. M. Caraey had many inputs in the success of this classic. She is the sole performer, co-writer, and co-producer, sharing credits with Walter Afanasieff. This unique combination gives her a significant share of the royalties from two main streams: music composition and sound recording.
Songwriters and publishers earn music composition royalties, while sound recording royalties are paid to performers and record labels. Since Carey owns the song and recording copyright, she profits from both sides. For example, whenever the song is streamed, played in public spaces, or covered by another artist, Carey and Afanasieff earn some of the royalties. The earnings keep rolling in with over 150 covers recorded by other artists.
Experts note that Carey likely has a more favorable royalty arrangement than most artists due to her multiple credits. Her contract with Columbia Records also plays a role, though the exact terms remain private. Even so, it’s clear that Carey’s involvement at every level of the song’s production has made her one of the most successful artists in the holiday music industry[3].
Carey is a rare example of an artist who has maximized her earnings in a world of competitors and a difficult music industry. While many contributors, including publishers, labels, and co-creators, share in the song’s success, Carey’s significant role ensures she continues to reap the rewards — year after year, season after season.
