Mariah Carey's Christmas hit has become a festive staple since it was released in 1994. Photo / Getty Images
Mariah Carey's Christmas hit has become a festive staple since it was released in 1994. Photo / Getty Images
Have you ever wondered how much your favourite Christmas song earns every year? We’ve compiled the top five money makers and how much they reportedly make each holiday season.
Nothing confirms it’s Christmas quite like hearing The Pogues, Wham! or Mariah Carey blasting through the speakers on December 1.
As soon as their festive tunes hit the soundwaves, you know it’s time to pull out the tree, battle your way through Christmas shopping and eat a piece of chocolate for breakfast every morning for the next 24 days.
While listening to these songs during the holidays has become almost as important as celebrating the day itself, our nosey selves can’t help but wonder, how much do the artists actually earn from them each Christmas?
UK news outlet the Independent reported that it’s difficult to find accurate numbers on how much the artists have earned from their festive songs, with the Performing Right Society (PRS) protecting members’ privacy. However, when there’s a sleigh, there’s a way.
Throughout the years, multiple news outlets have checked with the musical elves so you don’t have to, and the results are probably what you’d expect. Estimating the amount of royalties the beloved festive songs bring in each year, we can reveal which Christmas hit reportedly earns the most.
Here are the highest-earning Christmas songs:
All I Want For Christmas Is You
She’s the Queen of Christmas, “defrosting” every November, and it seems she has very good reason to do so.
The Economist has reported the eye-watering amount of royalties Mariah Carey brings in every year for her 1994 classic, All I Want For Christmas and honestly, grab a tissue.
Last year alone, it was reported the singer grossed US$2.5 million ($4m) in annual recording royalties, but the New York Post insists the figure is closer to $3m each year, and that’s just the tip of the snowflake. It’s reported she also makes as much as $830,000 in publishing royalties before fees for the use of the music.
The Economist also reported that as of 2017, the song had generated over $60m through royalties since its release and with the song receiving more than 765 million views on YouTube alone, it’s easy to see why.
Merry Xmas Everybody
Your grandma likes it, your parents like it, your toddler even bops along to it so it should come as no surprise that the multigenerational tune Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade has come in at one of the top spots.
Daily Mail reported the song - which was first released in 1973, earns a whopping £1 million ($3.8m) in royalties per year.
In a 2021 interview with The Guardian, Slade main manNoddy Holder was asked whether the estimate was true and, look, he didn’t exactly confirm it, but he didn’t deny it either, instead confessing it’s “different every year” and added: “It’s like having a hit record every year. So it’s a nice pension plan, I’ll say that.”
The song was released at the peak of Slade’s fame, selling over one million copies on its first release. It topped the charts in Ireland and the UK - marking the last time the band would have a number one single in the UK - and reached the top 10 in Belgium, the Netherlands, West Germany and Norway.
The iconic festive favourite is re-released every decade since 1973 and has been covered by numerous artists including British rock band Oasis in 2000, who recorded an acoustic version for The Royle Family Christmas Special.
Fairytale of New York
The Pogues and the late, great, Kirsty MacColl’s season-defining tune Fairytale of New York has dominated the airwaves every December all around the world, becoming known as one of the best Christmas songs of all time.
This year, it’s anticipated the song will finally reach number one - something it has only ever achieved in Ireland since its 1988 release - but it comes at a sad price. On November 30, Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan died, with many choosing to remember him through the band’s most well-known hit.
Despite the tune never reaching number one status around the world, it is a huge earner and according to figures compiled by the Daily Mail, The Pogues earn a whopping £400,000 ($792,526) in royalties each and every year from the song.
White Christmas
Originally created in 1942 by Irving Berlin and sung by Bing Crosby for the musical film Holiday Inn, White Christmas was an immediate hit with fans, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 15th Academy Awards and spending 11 weeks on top of the Billboard charts.
Going from strength to strength, it has become a part of Christmas, returning to the charts every December, and has been covered by countless artists, including Michael Bublé. However Crosby’s version remains the world’s best-selling single and sales are estimated to exceed 50 million.
According to a Channel 5 study conducted in 2016, the song is estimated to make £328,000 ($672,465) per year in royalties.
Last Christmas
Written and produced by the one, the only, George Michael, Last Christmas by Wham! was released on December 3, 1984 and it changed Christmas forever.
When it was first released, the festive tune spent five consecutive weeks at number two in the UK singles chart before finally reaching number one on New Year’s Day 2021. As for us Kiwis, we love the song so much so it peaked at number two on our charts and always returns to a high spot every year.
In its almost 40-year history, Last Christmas has been loved by many but also scrutinised by one. In the mid 1980s, publishing company Dick James Music sued Michael for plagiarism, claiming the Last Christmas melody was lifted from Barry Manilow’s song Can’t Smile Without You. Fortunately for Michael and Wham!, the case was dismissed.
Now, according to the Independent, the song brings in a huge £300,000 ($615,454) worth of royalties per year.
Lillie Rohan is an Auckland-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things relationships and dating, great Taylor Swift ticket wars and TV shows you simply cannot miss out on.
