This time of year, it’s hard to go a day without hearing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” whether it’s playing in a store, in an Uber or on your holiday playlist.
Since it debuted in 1994, Carey’s song has become a go-to Christmas pop song during the holidays, along with mainstays “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.” The pop singer is raking in big bucks from its success.
The holiday hit is Spotify’s most-streamed Christmas song of all time, with more than 602 million plays on the streaming service alone. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” also has more than 605 million views on YouTube since it was uploaded to the platform in 2009.
Even though the song has been around for 25 years, it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list for the first time this year. Carey’s song has already earned more than $2 million in royalties since the song was first added to Spotify, according to a study by Broadband Deals, and that number is expected to continue to grow quickly: If this holiday season is anything like the last, Carey’s song is estimated to bring in about $600,000 between November 2019 and this Christmas, according to Broadband Deals. When asked about the song’s royalties, Spotify did not return a request for comment.
The singer has earned more than $60 million in royalties from the song, according to a 2016 estimate by The Economist.
Following Carey’s hit, Spotify’s most-streamed Christmas songs include “Last Christmas” by Wham!, “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande, “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Buble and “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber.
When it comes to Spotify, “Last Christmas” has raked in about $1.5 million in streaming royalties, Grande’s song brought in about $1.1 million, Buble’s song raked in about $1 million and Bieber’s song brought in about $950,000. These numbers account for the total money earned since the songs were uploaded to the streaming service.
Carey’s song has taken on a life of its own throughout the years. Amazon is making a mini-documentary on the tune, which will be called “Mariah Carey is Christmas!” The documentary will dig into how Carey’s Christmas song became a huge hit, and it’s expected to premiere on Amazon later this month.
