Mariah Carey earns up to $3 million annually in royalties from "All I Want for Christmas Is You" as holiday classic marks 30th anniversary

MARIAH Carey, the undisputed "Queen of Christmas," continues to rake in millions annually from her 1994 holiday classic, All I Want for Christmas Is You.

According to Forbes, the Grammy-winning singer earns between $2.5 and $3 million each year in royalties from the song. The Economist estimates the earnings at $2.5–$2.6 million, while The New York Post puts the figure closer to $3 million.

This annual income adds to the estimated $60 million Carey has already earned in royalties since the song’s release nearly 30 years ago. “It’s the gift that keeps on giving — to her fans and to Mariah,” Gary Trust, managing director of charts and operations at Billboard, told The New York Post. “It ranks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Holiday Songs chart. For every holiday song that’s ever been out, this is the biggest. The chart reflects that.”

Despite its overwhelming success today, All I Want for Christmas Is You didn’t initially make an immediate impact on the charts. The song was ineligible for the Hot 100 when it first came out because it wasn’t sold as a standalone single; it was only available on Carey’s Merry Christmas album. At the time, Hot 100 rules required a song to be commercially available as a physical single to chart.

The song's fortunes changed with the rise of streaming, helping All I Want for Christmas Is You climb to the top of the Hot 100 in 2019. Since then, it has consistently returned to the top of the charts each holiday season. “There is just something a little magical that really has put it above all other Christmas songs during the season,” Trust said. “It’s not going away.”

In addition to royalties, Carey capitalises on the song’s enduring popularity through sponsorship deals, holiday-themed merchandise, television specials, concerts, books, and even an animated film. To date, All I Want for Christmas Is You has been streamed an astonishing 1.87 billion times.