Yahoo Lifestyle Mariah Carey Makes a Shocking Amount for "All I Want For Christmas Is You"
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For many, once the clock hits 12 a.m. on November 1, it's officially Christmastime. And although we know not everyone agrees on when the right time is to start playing Christmas music (hey, we're not looking to start any fights right now!), you'd be hard-pressed to miss Mariah Carey's 1994 hit song "All I Want For Christmas Is You," the self-proclaimed song of the holiday season, once Thanksgiving comes into view.
Even if you aren't a year-round "lamb" — the name for Mariah Carey's fanbase — a good majority of us can't resist getting into the spirit once we hear those first few notes. The R&B singer co-wrote and co-produced the track with Walter Afanasieff, which is consistently on the top-streamed songs list during the holidays. With its returning popularity year after year, you might be wondering — how much does Mariah Carey make from "All I Want For Christmas Is You" each year? Here's everything we know.
The 55-year-old, who has an estimated net worth of $340 million, is rumored to earn a whopping $2.5-3 million a year from annual royalties alone for the song each year. It's not confirmed the exact amount, but according to Forbes, calculations from The Economist put the figure closer to $2.5-$2.6 while The New York Post estimates the figure sits around $3 million. However, Forbes reports that that's in addition to the "$60 million in royalties the singer had received when the song was first released nearly three decades ago in 1994." She also has accumulated more money, although the figure is unknown, from the song due to sponsorship opportunities, her holiday-themed merchandise, specials, concerts, book and animated film all tied to the hit.
According to Forbes, the song has become one of the "most covered modern Christmas pop songs," with Mariah even re-recording a version with Justin Bieber for his Christmas album "Under the Mistletoe" back in 2011.
Although it's too early to pull any streaming numbers for the 2024 holiday season, according to My Stream Count, overall the '94 hit has been streamed 1,872,843,557 times since its release. That said, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" actually beats out the well-known Mariah ballad by being the "highest selling festive tune" with an estimated 50 million copies, followed by his version of "Silent Night" at 30 million copies, with "All I Want For Christmas Is You" finally making an appearance at number 3 with 16 million in sales — still making it the 12th highest selling single ever. It is thanks to streaming services that Mariah takes the cake in the "most played" category.
According to People, last year the "Queen of Christmas" received a $20 million lawsuit over the song, when she was sued for copyright infringement by Andy Stone and Troy Powers, who co-wrote Vince Vance & the Valiants' country song "All I Want For Christmas Is You" back in 1989. The suit was quickly dropped a few months later, but this year, the two have refiled the suit, alleging that Mariah copied the original song, which received big radio play a year before Mariah released hers. There has been no comment from Mariah or her team, and no update on whether the suit is moving forward.
This holiday season, Mariah celebrates the 30th anniversary of her Christmas album with her third Christmas tour, this one dubbed, "Mariah Carey's Christmas Time." Her "Christmas extravaganza," as she calls it, is a holiday spectacle where Mariah will perform her iconic Christmas classics and "fan-favorite chart-toppers." She kicked off the 20-city tour on November 6 in California and will perform in Philadelphia, Dallas, Nashville, Boston and more cities through December 17, where she'll wrap up with a performance at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
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