Mariah Carey performs “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards.
Gilbert Flores | Penske Media | Getty Images
“I don’t need much for Christmas/I just need one thing/an answer to a question/an estimate of Mariah Carey song royalties, okay?”
No, my improvised lyrics aren’t as catchy as the opening line to Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” the 1994 song that’s nearly ubiquitous on the airwaves during the holiday season.
But they do raise a question that probes the black box of music industry economics: How much money the song made for the song’s performer, Kelly and the so-called “Kelly.”christmas queen,”each year?
revenue estimates advertising billboard For example, she said she could earn between $2.7 million and $3.3 million by 2022 from song downloads and on-demand streaming. It does not include other potentially lucrative revenue streams, such as Christmas TV specials.
But experts say it’s difficult to know the exact amount, largely because details of the contract between Carey, her music label and the song’s publisher are not public. The pop star’s publicist, Chris Chambers, did not respond to a request for comment submitted to his company, The Chamber Group, about her royalties.
“No matter what it is, it’s a lot of money,” said Natasha Chee, a music, entertainment and intellectual property rights attorney at Donahue Fitzgerald.
The song may have earned $103 million since 1994
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” is a hit song during the Christmas season.
Spotify declare This month, the national anthem became the first holiday song in the world to hit 2 billion views. Spotify said the song has been the No. 1 song globally every Christmas since 2016.
The song’s popularity continues unabated: U.S. audio streams totaled 249 million in 2023, up about 49% from 167 million in 2019, according to Luminate, which tracks music industry data.
(As of Dec. 12, the song’s total U.S. plays are down 8% this year from 2023, according to Billboard estimates. Experts say that’s partly due to the shorter post-Thanksgiving holiday.)
George Howard, a professor at Berklee College of Music and former president of independent record label Rykodisc, said the song “is a money machine.” “This is a real phenomenon,” he said.
Mariah Carey performs on stage during her “All I Want for Christmas Is You” tour at Madison Square Garden on December 15, 2019 in New York City.
Kevin Mazur | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Howard, who also consults on music rights valuations, estimated the chart-topper’s total annual earnings at $2 million to $4 million.
Likewise, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, which specializes in music industry law, estimates the hit song generates $3.4 million annually.
The law firm estimates that in the 30 years since its release, the song has generated approximately $103 million in revenue. Manat, the creator of Billboard, said the forecasts include global streaming and non-streaming revenue sources Royalty Calculator.
According to the calculator, the song alone earned $9.8 million in royalties from its 2 billion plays on Spotify worldwide.
But Carey received only a portion of those earnings.
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Mariah Carey in “Mariah Carey: All I Want For Christmas Is You” at the Beacon Theater in New York City on December 5, 2016 Performed at the opening ceremony.
Jeff Kravitz | Movie Magic | Getty Images
The music royalties ecosystem is notoriously complex.
Funds flow to many contributors such as writers, performers, producers, mixers and record labels. Experts say each person’s compensation could vary from song to song, depending on the terms of the contract.
The terms of Carey’s royalty deal are not publicly known.
“No matter what it is, it’s a lot of money,” said a music, entertainment and intellectual property rights lawyer at Donahue Fitzgerald.
Natasha Chi
Donahue Fitzgerald Senior Advisor
Howard said the singer probably makes “more” money than most artists. That’s because Carey plays multiple roles on the song: She’s listed as the sole performer, as well as being a co-writer and co-producer of the song. (Walter Afanasyev is the other co-writer and co-producer.)
Howard said it’s unusual to have such a large production crew. That’s a big factor in Carey’s final take-home pay.
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Music royalties are different from royalties for other works, such as books or photography.
Jordan Bromley, partner and principal at Manat Entertainment, said this is because there are two different streams of royalties – one for the creation of the music and another for the recording. The former, he said, is like a sheet of music on a piano (songwriting), while the latter is the recorded song you hear.
Each has its own royalty structure. Royalties from music creation are collected by songwriters and publishers, while royalties from sound recordings are paid to the performers of the songs and their record labels, Howard said.
Howard said Carey “owns the rights to both the song and the recording, so she’s getting paid for both.”
“As of Sunday, she has six ways of getting paid,” he said.
Swetikade | Electronic+ | Getty Images
Experts say the song’s author and publisher, not the performer, will receive royalties when the song is played in public venues such as television, radio, restaurants and retail stores. Howard said the United States is one of the few countries with such rules.
This means that every time a cover version of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is played in the public domain, Carey (and her co-writer Afanasiev) will receive royalties. More than 150 performers covered the song, according to Performing rights organization ASCAP.
Carey and Afanasyev share writing credits with publishers including Universal Music, Sony Music and Kobalt Songs Music Publishing, according to to ASCAP.
However, Bromley said the revenue from recording a song is typically four to five times that of writing it.
“If you’re a songwriter without record income, it’s hard to make a living even if you’re hot,” he said.
Bromley said how much an artist earns from a recording relative to what a label makes can fluctuate widely, from 20 to 90 percent, depending on the contract. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is released by Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music.
Afanasieff, Sony Music and Kobalt Songs Music Publishing did not respond to requests for comment. Universal Music Publishing Group declined to comment.
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Santa Claus and Mariah Carey perform a pre-taped performance for the NBC Christmas Tree Lighting at Rockefeller Center on November 27, 2012 in New York City.
James Devaney | Wire Image | Getty Images
Experts note that revenue from record sales and licensing varies widely from year to year, while revenue from streaming and performances is more predictable.
Billboard says that of the above estimated $8.5 million in global revenue and publishing royalties for “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in 2022, Carey’s master recordings brought in $5.3 million, with publishing royalties accounting for the remainder. of US$3.2 million.
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Billboard estimates she earned about $1.9 million from the master recordings, while her label Sony kept another $3.4 million.
As of Sunday, she had six ways to get paid.
George Howard
Professor at Berklee College of Music
Assuming Kelly and Afanasif split the writing 50-50, Kelly would also earn an estimated $1.6 million from publishing. But Billboard said her take-home pay will be less, depending on her publishing deal, and could range from $795,000 to $1.4 million.
All told, these estimates suggest Carey could earn around $2.7 million to $3.3 million in 2022 from recording and publishing.
That doesn’t include revenue from any financial arrangements for the soundtrack to the Christmas TV special, which could be lucrative, according to Billboard. It also excludes cover versions of the song.
Manat Entertainment’s Bromley said for a pop star to be virtually “co-branded” with Christmas, there was “a lot of money to be made” including brand endorsements, live performances, cosmetics, homewares and clothing deals .
The gift that keeps on giving
Image Alliance | Image Alliance | Getty Images
Experts say the song is a gift that will last for years to come.
Copyright in works published after January 1, 1978 generally remains intact According to Donahue Fitzgerald’s Chee, during the author’s lifetime, plus 70 years after the author’s death.
In the case of a collaborative work between two or more authors, such as “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” this rule applies to the last surviving author.
She said that means Carey’s estate will likely earn royalties for decades until the song finally enters the public domain. When that happens, the song will join the ranks of Christmas classics like “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” that usually Free to share and adapt.
