“All I Want for Christmas is You” makes the singer millions annually
It was launched in 1994, All I want for Christmas is you It has become a great Christmas tradition. music Mariah Carey Festive movie packages such as Dwarf in New York, Simply love, Santa Claus from the inside out And even an animation of the singer based on the song.
For over 30 years, the composition has also become the most played Christmas song in history, surpassing… Happy birthday (the war is over)from John Lennon and Yoko Onowhich got the copy in Brazil So it’s Christmaswith a voice Simon. Currently, Carey’s song has over 3 billion streams, including on YouTube and Spotify, and is the most played song on the singer’s channels on both platforms.
According to a survey conducted by Forbes magazine in 2023, the singer’s song Carey alone earned R$ 13.3 million and R$ 16 million, an amount that only corresponds to the sales and copies of the original version, the so-called Mastered.
In the latest account published by the magazine Monet It was published on the first Monday of this month, and the value ranges between 14.2 and 21.3 million Brazilian reals. Also according to the Brazilian magazine, Carey’s total earnings from the song until 2023 have reached R$540.5 million since its release.
It is worth noting that in addition to playing the recording Mastered, All I want for Christmas Also subject to Curry Royalties Its source Coversas the song was already released on Michael Buble, Ariana Grande, Dolly Parton and Shania Twain Over the years. The singer also receives payments every time a movie of hers is released He hits Soundtracks are produced or shown on television and streaming, although this value varies between platforms.
The track has become so symbolic that as Christmas approaches, memes appear online saying it’s time for Carey to “thaw” for the festivities, with the singer practically becoming synonymous with Christmas.
With over 16 million copies sold worldwide in the year of its release alone, All I want for Christmas is you It broke several records, and was the first Christmas song to receive a diamond disc from the Recording Industry Association of America. Since 2018, the song has appeared at the top of the US charts every year.
Despite the records and its multi-million dollar value, the song actually caused headaches for its composers. In 2022, Carey, his co-songwriter Walter Afanasyev A lawsuit was filed against Sony Music for US$20 million Andy Stonewho stated that the track would be a plagiarism of his 1989 song of the same name. Stone himself dropped the lawsuit months later, only to reopen it in 2023. In March 2025, a judge won the Carrey & Co. case.
Listen to Stone’s version, released under his stage name Vince Vance and the Valiants less: