Mariah Carey clocked in for work by sharing a video on her Instagram account this November 1. But the question remains: How much does she earn every Christmas?
It’s that time of year when the Christmas tunes are playing in all the shops.
In the Philippines, Christmas starts early, and as soon as the “BER” months arrive, people gear up for Christmas shopping, vacations, and, of course, the music.
Speaking of Christmas songs, who could forget the Queen of Christmas herself, Mariah Carey?
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Holiday Magic
Her annual Halloween-to-Christmas transformation video has become a tradition on her social media.
To kick off the holiday season, Carey posted a captivating video of herself.
She appears to be trapped in an ice cube, only to be rescued by Halloween characters wielding hair dryers at the stroke of midnight on November 1.
Many people look forward to this and even suggest that November 1st should be a public holiday to celebrate Carey’s yearly announcement. Even Spotify chimed in with “THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR.”
All this excitement makes us wonder: just how much does Mariah Carey earn every Christmas season?
The Power of Music
With an estimated net worth of $340 million, Carey’s financial success is undeniable, considering she’s one of the best-selling artists of all time.
Her iconic holiday hit, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” achieved the coveted No. 1 spot in 2019, 25 years after its initial release.
This Christmas classic continues to climb the charts and set records each year.
Reflecting on this accomplishment, Carey shared her thoughts with Billboard in 2020: “Having No. 1 in 2019 with ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ was a moment where I just sat there by myself at 3 in the morning looking at the Christmas tree lights and just really taking it in on a human level because you work your whole life for something.”
The success of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is even more remarkable when you consider that legend has it she wrote the song in just 15 minutes (although Carey herself has downplayed that legend).
According to The Economist, this Christmas classic earned Carey $60 million between 1994 and 2016, averaging $2.6 million per year.
This sum doesn’t even account for what she makes from her holiday-themed merchandise, concerts, specials, books, and animated films associated with the festive favorite.
Yearly Tradition
As of December 23-29, 2022, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was still holding the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100, with 46.9 million streams, 24.6 million radio plays, and 6,000 download sales.
So, you can expect her earnings to keep rising.
On average, Carey earns in around $3 million each holiday season from “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
This number can significantly increase in years when she performs Christmas concerts, goes on tours, or participates in holiday specials and product endorsements.
But how much does Mariah Carey make annually overall?
Well, her income fluctuates depending on her tour schedules and projects.
Still, she consistently earns an estimated minimum of about $3 million each year from her Christmas catalog alone.
In 2014, TMZ reported that Carey made a total of $6.3 million.
And what about royalties?
Carey’s royalties are estimated to be around 20 percent, a pretty high rate, especially considering her multi-million dollar advances for albums.
Part of the reason for this is her songwriting prowess; she’s often underappreciated for her songwriting skills, even though she pens all of her hits.
Her contract with Universal Records netted her a cool $7.5 million per album.
And when her contract with EMI/Virgin Records fell through, she walked away with a substantial $28 million.
So, you could say Mariah Carey’s holiday earnings are truly music to her ears!
Banner photo via Instagram @mariahcarey.
