Mariah Carey Technically May Not Even Have Made $1M from ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’

Mariah Carey’s December income and initial estimates for ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’.

Mariah Carey’s song All I Want For Christmas Is You is a popular holiday anthem that has generated millions of dollars for her each year since its release in 1994.
The song is estimated to earn Carey around $2.6M-3M per year due to its success on the Hot 100 charts, holiday specials, and product endorsements.
However, Billboard estimates that Carey’s royalties are actually much less than $1M, with only $1.55M from her master recording version bringing in $4.5M in revenue in 2021.

It’s officially Christmas time, and the holiday season is nothing without some fun, movies, and music. When we talk about holiday music, somehow Mariah Carey pops into our mind with her 1994 hit song All I Want For Christmas Is You. It’s been decades since the song was released, but it still holds the very essence of Christmas.

Mariah Carey

To be specific, fans’ adoration for the song has generated millions of dollars for Mariah Carey, each year since its release. But while it is estimated that the singer makes $1M for her song, Billboard busted the myth and claimed that her share might actually be a lot less.

Mariah Carey’s Annual Royalties From Her Christmas Song

Becoming the Queen of Christmas in 1994 after the release of her mega-hit song All I Want For Christmas Is You, Mariah Carey started bagging millions of dollars each year. Even to this day, her net worth largely comes from her magnum holiday opus, which keeps setting the mood for Christmas every holiday season.

Climbing the charts and setting records annually with her classic song, Mariah Carey is said to earn an eye-watering amount each year for All I Want For Christmas Is You. Written in 15 minutes by the 54-year-old and Walter Afanasieff, The Economist reported that Carey made $60M between 1994 and 2016, averaging $2.6M per year.

Carey is said to make around $2M – $3M each year for her Christmas song

It was also reported in 2022 that All I Want For Christmas Is You was at No. 1 on the Hot 100, with 46.9M streams, 24.6M radio plays, and 6,000 download sales. Thus, according to Parade, Mariah Carey is estimated to earn an average of $3M each holiday season from her song. That sum goes up, further, since she does holiday specials and product endorsements. How Much Does Mariah Carey Actually Earn From Her Song?

But while we are discussing Mariah Carey’s million-dollar annual income each year from All I Want For Christmas Is You, Billboard revealed scary estimates that suggest otherwise. According to the outlet, although it is claimed that the singer makes $1M for her song, Carey’s royalties are actually a lot less than expected.

Billboard estimated Carey’s royalties a lot less than $1M

Pulling out reports from 2021, Billboard estimated Mariah Carey’s master recording version of the song brought in almost $4.5M. But of the revenue, Carey’s royalties stood somewhere at $1.55M, leaving Sony with $2.95M. And now comes the real math, where the outlet broke down shares and credits to determine the singer’s actual income. Since Mariah Carey was one of the two songwriters, Walter Afanasieff was supposed to have a 50% share of the song. Which in return made Carey’s share of publishing $830,000. But now if she owned her publishing with a 10% administration fee, the singer would actually get to take $747,000 at home. Otherwise, with a 75/25 co-publishing deal, Carey would only get $622,000. And without the publishing ownership, her royalty would stand at around $415,000