Mariah Carey still earning millions from a Christmas song released over 30 years ago
Mariah Carey
What you need to know:
- Mariah Carey earns millions of dollars every year from her song "All I Want for Christmas Is You, in 2017 The Economist reported the singer earned $60 million in royalties from the song between 1994 and 2016, averaging $2.6 million per year.
It’s not Christmas until the Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey says “It’s Time.” Only then can you put up your Christmas decorations and play her hit single ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ on repeat.
The classic festive track was originally released 30 years ago in 1994 from her fourth studio album and first holiday album, Merry Christmas. Surprisingly the song topped the UK Singles Chart for the first time ever on December 11, 2020, 26 years after its initial release. It made a brief return to the number one spot for a week in 2022.
Mariah Carey earns millions of dollars every year from her song "All I Want for Christmas Is You, in 2017 The Economist reported the singer earned $60 million in royalties from the song between 1994 and 2016, averaging $2.6 million per year.
However in 2022 Billboard estimated that Mariah Carey earned $5.3 million from the master recording version of the song and $3.2 million from publishing royalties, for a total of $8.5 million.
All I Want for Christmas Is You is Mariah Carey’s best-selling single of all time. The song has sold more than 16 million copies and is estimated to have earned $100 million in royalties as of 2023. It's also the UK's most streamed Christmas song, with over 180 million streams.
