How much does Mariah Carey make off ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ every year?
What’s the point of celebrating Christmas if you don’t spend the entirety of it listening to Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ to such an unhealthy degree you end up welcoming January with open arms for the sole reason that it means a solid 10-month break from the song, am I right?
Released just over 28 years ago, it seems the iconic track is still popular as ever. So much so that, in 2021, Carey’s classic Christmas song achieved a certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it the very first holiday song to earn the coveted award.
That same year, ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the third straight year. It also obtained a UK number one in the country’s official charts in 2020—something that the ‘Queen of Christmas’ herself was naturally elated with.
“Happy Christmas UK!! We finally made it!!! We are keeping the Christmas spirit alive together despite how dismal the year’s been. Love you always! Joy to the world!” the singer said in a statement released at the time.
Considering the huge success that the song has received for almost 30 years now, it’s not hard to imagine the insane amount of money it has made Carey along the way. But just how much dough are we talking about here?
How much does Mariah Carey make every Christmas?
Ahh, the age-old question many like to ponder over turkey, Brussels sprouts, pigs in blankets, and a glass of Baileys. While an official answer on how much Carey makes from the song has never been revealed, in 2017, The Economist took it upon itself to do the maths and settle the debate once and for all.
The publication’s study revealed that the singer earns about $2.5 million per year for ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’. It also highlighted that, by 2016, the artist had earned $60 million from the 1994 song alone.
Take that to Christmas 2021, Carey has likely raked in another $12.5 million—taking her earnings on the song to over $72 million. As we all know by now, the song has been just as successful this holiday season, which means that Carey is probably looking at a staggering $75 million from just that one timeless Christmas classic.
And this is only looking at the song’s royalties—if we were really petty, we’d also have to include all the lucrative deals the singer has signed around Christmas time because of ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’, which, by the way, she allegedly wrote in just a mere 15 minutes.
