It's that time of year again when festive tunes are playing in all the shops - and many of us are wondering how much Mariah Carey makes every Christmas.
November has arrived, which means for many of us it's time to stock up on the best chocolate advent calendars and get researching this year's top Christmas toys. And for Mariah Carey - aka the 'Queen of Christmas' - it's time for her to share what has become an annual Halloween-to-Christmas transformation video on her social media. To mark the beginning of the festive season, Mariah has posted a spectacular video of herself appearing to be trapped in an ice cube, which is defrosted by Halloween characters using hair dryers at the strike of midnight on November 1.
If you're a fan of classic Christmas music, then no doubt you know all the words to her iconic 'All I Want for Christmas is You'. It's played in public places as well as our own homes every festive season, and is also one of the tracks in the cult-classic Christmas film, Love Actually. And it's got everyone wondering, how much does Mariah Carey make every Christmas?
How much does Mariah Carey make every Christmas?
According to a study from The Economist, Mariah Carey made $60million from her hit song 'All I Want for Christmas is You' alone between 1996 and 2016. Broken down by year, this suggests she has made an average of around $2.6million per year (that's roughly £2.1million).
While it's not known exactly how much Mariah Carey makes each festive period, it's bound to be a hefty sum, considering the money she will also receive from streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, as well as holiday performances and product endorsements. And as the Christmas celebrations seem to arrive earlier and earlier each year, it doesn't look like she will need to worry about her finances any time soon.
In addition, 2019 saw the Christmas classic finally hit number one in the charts - 25 years after its release - and it returned in 2020 and 2021 too. However, Mariah is yet to scoop up the coveted Christmas Number One - despite coming very close last year.
Speaking to Billboard in 2020 about finally reaching number one in the charts, Mariah said, "It was such a high point for me, career-wise, because of how much I love Christmas, and that’s partially because I’ve always loved it that much...having number one in 2019 with “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was a moment where I just sat there by myself at three in the morning looking at the Christmas tree lights and just really taking it in on a human level, because you work your whole life for something."
How much money has Mariah Carey made from 'All I Want for Christmas is You'?
While The Economist reported that the song had made $60million by 2016, it's likely that it will have brought in another $12.5million since then, taking Mariah Carey's total earnings from 'All I Want for Christmas is You' to $72million (roughly £60million).
The song has reached number one in multiple countries around the world and re-enters Billboard’s Holiday 100 Chart every year. Gary Trust, Billboard’s associate director of charts/radio, told the New York Post: "It’s Carey’s best-selling download of all of her songs - 2.8 million sold since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in the early 2000s."
And this huge $72million figure doesn't include UK royalties and streaming plays - so it's likely that Mariah has actually earned even more from the popular festive tune.
Meanwhile, Celebrity Net Worth reports that 'All I Want for Christmas is You' generates an estimated $600,000 per year in royalties.
What is Mariah Carey's yearly income?
Though Mariah Carey's exact yearly income isn't known, she likely earns at least $3million during the holiday season alone, when her live performances are added on to the income from 'All I Want for Christmas is You'.
Aside from the money Mariah makes from the hugely popular song and the rest of her Merry Christmas album, she's firmly solidified herself as the Queen of Christmas with other endeavours such as Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special, which premiered on Apple TV+ in December 2020.
She's also announced her 2023 'Merry Christmas One and All!' tour, which kicks off on November 15 in California, before finishing on December 17 in Madison Square Gardens in New York. The 13-date tour is her longest Christmas season tour yet - and is bound to be earning her plenty of Christmas spending money.
Yes, the actual defrosting has begun! 🧊 Announcing the MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL Tour!🎄❤️ On sale 10/6 pic.twitter.com/DVuQd9ADkkOctober 2, 2023
Who wrote All I Want for Christmas is You?
All I Want for Christmas is You was co-written by Mariah Carey and her then songwriting partner Walter Afanasieff. Despite the songs enduring success, it was actually written in just 15 minutes.
"It's definitely not 'Swan Lake'," Afanasieff has said previously. "But that's why it's so popular — because it's so simple and palatable!" adding that the track was inspired by producer Phil Spector's 'Wall of Sound' technique from the 1960s.
According to Radio X, the song was last year named the most popular Christmas song of all time based on a survey of social media users and Spotify plays.
What is the highest earning Christmas song of all time?
The best-selling Christmas song of all time is Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas', according to the Wall Street Journal and The Guinness Book of Records, with an estimated 50 million sales.
The song was written by Irving Berlin in 1942 and spent 11 weeks at the top of the Billboard chart that year, and won the Oscar for best original song for its part in the film Holiday Inn.
The song has been covered by Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble among other artists, adding to its earnings.
Most streamed Christmas songs - top 10
- All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey
- Last Christmas - WHAM!
- Fairytale of New York - Pogues ft. Kirsty Kirsty MacColl
- Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens
- Do They Know it's Christmas - Band Aid
- It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - Michael Buble
- Step into Christmas - Elton John
- Santa Tell Me - Ariana Grande
- I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard
- Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
According to Official Charts, as of December 2021 'All I Want for Christmas is You' had 248 million streams to date, followed by Wham’s Last Christmas, on 220m, and Fairytale Of New York by The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl with 170m plays.
Mariah Carey net worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Mariah Carey is worth $340 million - roughly £295 million.
They add that she is one of the 15 best-selling musical artists in history, having sold over 200 million albums worldwide and is the third best-selling female artist of all time - behind Madonna at number one and Taylor Swift at number two.
Throughout her career, Mariah Carey has won numerous awards and honours, including eight AMAs, 19 Billboard Music Awards, and five Grammys.
If the arrival of November has got you thinking about your Christmas plans, we've rounded up the best non-chocolate advent calendars for this year - including the best toy advent calendars - as well as a selection of the best Christmas food hampers. You might want to check out these easy Elf on the Shelf ideas too.
