November, a month loved by many but feared for some men unprepared for the cold winter upon them. NNN jokes aside, most find comfort in the sense that the holiday season has officially started. Cobwebs and giant spiders get put back into the attic as new decorations and lights get put up in their stead. Though decorations are a clear indicator that the seasons are changing, one clear signal is displayed by November 1st.
That is her return.
For 10 months of the year, she lies dormant, absorbing the energy of the masses to build up her strength. By the time October comes around the ice around her begins to crack. Many tried to run from it, while others have accepted that she is inevitable. On November 1st of every year, she returns to her icy throne. I am of course referring to the Holiday Queen that is Mariah Carey. Every year the holiday season starts at 12:01 am when every radio station, store in the mall, and other businesses lay down her inaugural track “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” It is much like the lighting of the torch for the Thanksgiving/Christmas season. This song and now tradition has taken a life of its own, so much so that it has left me wondering…
“Just how much money has she made from this song?”
My curiosity finally took over and led me to the article written on Heart.co.uk which I believe is the British equivalent to IHeart Radio. This article, which you can find below, covers when the song was initially released, how much she makes from the song annually, and how much she has made from it so far. Since being released in 1994, the legacy of this song has proven that it will be a timeless classic that will outlive any of us while keeping Mariah an immortal Christmas entity. With all that said, just how much money has Mariah made from this shopping mall banger?
In a study done by The Economist, it was reported that Mariah makes roughly around $2.5 million dollars PER YEAR from this song. Since this study was done in 2016, the total at the time was around $60 million dollars. With some simple math, that would leave her with a total of $72 million dollars from All I Want For Christmas Is You. What is even more incredible, is back in 2016 when this article was written, Mariah Carey had 210 million streams on Spotify from this track alone. As of December of last year, she has over one billion streams on Spotify. We can no longer deny that when it comes to the holiday genre, Mariah stands a candy cane above all others.
Below is the full article from The Economist all the way back from 2017.
Now I know what you’re thinking.
“Elliott, how do combat this all-powerful Christmas deity?” the answer is quite simple really.
You can’t. Like how the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, she is much like nature. She cannot be stopped nor contained. All that can be done is to help those affected the most. I’m talking about the ones on the frontlines that combat this Ice Queen every year. The brave souls in the retail industry. As if the holiday season wasn’t tough enough for people in customer service, they are asked to fight through the constant barrages of this song as well as make sure the store survives the onslaught of customers looking for the best deal.
So before you go full consumer, please do not get consumed in Mariah’s hypnotic song. Keep your wits about you and remember that those employees have been hearing this song on repeat for the last seven days with another 53 days to go. To everyone working in restaurants, retail, or other customer service positions, just know that you are loved and supported through this dark time.
