Mariah Carey's December Earnings from 'All I Want For Christmas

Mariah Carey's December Earnings from 'All I Want For Christmas.

It's that magical time of year again! Gifts, cozy fires, baking goodies, festive decorations… and if you’re Mariah Carey, it means big royalty checks rolling in from a Christmas hit she penned three decades ago.

You’ve probably noticed that Mariah’s holiday anthem "All I Want For Christmas Is You" is pretty much everywhere from late November to Christmas Day. Good luck strolling through a mall in December without hearing it on repeat. It’s featured in movies and holiday specials, and it dominates streaming platforms. It kicks off Spotify's "Christmas Hits" playlist, and guess what? Mariah’s festive photo is the playlist cover. Back in late 2019, the song racked up so many streams that it hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Mariah's first chart-topper in over ten years. It was also the first Christmas song to reach #1 since "The Chipmunk Song" did it way back in 1958!

The wildest part? Mariah didn’t even want to write a Christmas song 30 years ago. When she and her co-writer finally sat down to create it, they knocked out the lyrics and melody in under 15 minutes. So, how did this iconic Christmas tune come to be? And, more importantly, how much does Mariah rake in every December, and what’s the total earnings from it?

All I Want For Christmas = Big Royalty Checks

Back in 1994, a 24-year-old Mariah Carey was riding high on the success of her hit album, "Music Box." This album would eventually sell 38 million copies globally, making it one of the best-selling albums ever—specifically, the 32nd best-selling in music history.

At that time, Mariah was married to Tommy Mottola, the Chairman of Sony Music. As any good husband and record exec would do, Tommy was busy plotting the best way for Mariah to follow up her massive success. Even though she had just solidified her status as a top R&B popstar, Tommy thought her next project should be… a Christmas album???

Mariah was totally against the idea. She believed that a Christmas album was something artists did when they were winding down their careers, not when they were just getting started. Historically, record labels would rush out holiday albums to cash in on artists they thought might be one-hit wonders or those trying to make a last-ditch effort for fame. It felt either desperate or just plain odd for Mariah to release a Christmas album next.

Her longtime collaborator, Walter Afanasieff, was on the same page. They had just released what seemed like the album of the decade. Mariah's career was on fire. Why would they take a step back?

Tommy Mottola had a way with words. Being Mariah's husband definitely gave him some extra clout, especially since he was a big player in the music industry. Plus, he had one more thing he wanted from Mariah and Walter: he didn’t want them to just slap together an album full of cover songs. He pushed for at least one brand-new, original Christmas song. It might have seemed tough, but Tommy understood that creating just one Christmas hit could lead to a steady stream of royalties for years to come.

In the summer of 1994, Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff found themselves holed up in a studio at The Hit Factory in Manhattan, working on what would become the album "Merry Christmas."

One memorable day in August, during one of those creative sessions, they started jamming on a "boogie woogie, rock and roll" riff, as Walter later put it. Mariah spontaneously crafted some lyrics on the spot.

You could call it fate, luck, or maybe even a little divine inspiration. Whatever it was, in under 15 minutes, they had both the lyrics and the music for what would turn into the iconic "All I Want For Christmas Is You."

Mariah's "Merry Christmas" album dropped on October 28, 1994, and it went on to sell a whopping 15 million copies globally, largely thanks to the massive hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

As of now, that single has sold over 16 million copies worldwide, making it the 12th best-selling single in music history and the top-selling Christmas song in modern times.

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How Much Money Has The Song Generated For Mariah?

This leads us to the main question of this article: How much does Mariah Carey rake in from royalties for "All I Want for Christmas is You" each December? And what’s the total revenue the song has brought in so far?

Let’s tackle the second question first. So far, "All I Want for Christmas" has pulled in at least $80 million in royalties. Mariah and her co-writer Walter, who also produced the track, pocket the majority of that cash.

But even more interesting is how valuable the song has become as an asset. If the rights to the song were ever put up for sale, it could fetch a price that’s 30 to 40 times its annual earnings. Now, onto the first question:

How much does the song make each year?

On the lower end, Mariah earns about $600,000 in royalties from this one track every December. On the higher end, that number can reach $1.2 million. So, it’s safe to say that "All I Want for Christmas" brings in around $2-4 million in royalties annually.

If we apply a 30x multiple to the $2 million figure, this single song could be valued at around $60 million, which Mariah and Walter mostly own. That’s a nice boost to Mariah Carey’s $350 million net worth. When you add in the $80 million the song has made overall, it’s clear why this track is such a fantastic investment. Not too shabby for just 15 minutes of work three decades ago!

Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" has become a beloved holiday classic, bringing joy to millions and earning her substantial royalties each December. Created in just 15 minutes in 1994, the song has since generated over $80 million in royalties, with Mariah earning up to $1.2 million annually during the holiday season.

With more than 16 million copies sold worldwide, it remains one of the best-selling singles of all time. This festive anthem not only brightens the holidays but also continues to significantly contribute to Mariah’s impressive $350 million net worth. A true success story!