Mariah Carey performs “All I Need for Christmas Is You” on the 2023 Billboard Music Awards.
Gilbert Flores | Penske Media | Getty Photos
“I do not need rather a lot for Christmas / There is only one factor I want / A solution to only one query / An estimate of Mariah Carey’s music royalties, please?”
No, my makeshift lyrics aren’t as catchy because the opening traces of Carey’s “All I Need for Christmas Is You,” the 1994 jingle that turned virtually ubiquitous over the airwaves round vacation season.
However they do pose a query that probes into the black field of music-industry economics: How a lot cash does the music earn for Carey, the music’s performer and so-called “Queen of Christmas,” every year?
Income estimates by Billboard recommend she made maybe $2.7 million to $3.3 million in 2022, for instance, from music downloads and on-demand streaming. It excludes different doubtlessly profitable income streams like Christmas TV specials.
But it surely’s exhausting to know a exact sum, largely as a result of contractual particulars between Carey, her music label and music publishers aren’t public, specialists stated. The pop star’s publicist, Chris Chambers, did not return a request for remark submitted to his agency, The Chamber Group, about her royalties.
“No matter it’s, it is some huge cash,” stated Natasha Chee, a music, leisure and mental property lawyer at regulation agency Donahue Fitzgerald.
The music might have earned $103 million since 1994
“All I Need for Christmas Is You” is a yuletide juggernaut.
Spotify announced this month that the anthem was the first-ever vacation music to surpass 2 billion international streams. It has been the No. 1 music globally on Christmas Day every year since 2016, Spotify stated.
The tune’s recognition has solely grown: Complete U.S. audio streams rose to 249 million in 2023, up about 49% from 167 million in 2019, in line with Luminate, which tracks music {industry} information.
(As of Dec. 12, complete U.S. streams of the music this yr have been down 8% relative to 2023, Billboard estimated. That is partly a perform of the shorter vacation season from a late Thanksgiving, specialists stated.)
The music “is a cash machine,” stated George Howard, a professor on the Berklee School of Music and former president of Rykodisc, an unbiased report label. “It is an actual phenomenon,” he stated.
Mariah Carey performs onstage throughout her “All I Need For Christmas Is You” tour at Madison Sq. Backyard on Dec. 15, 2019 in New York Metropolis.
Kevin Mazur | Getty Photos Leisure | Getty Photos
Howard, who additionally does consulting work to worth music copyrights, estimates the chart-topper makes $2 million to $4 million in annual gross income.
Equally, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, which makes a speciality of music {industry} regulation, estimates the hit generates $3.4 million a yr.
Over its 30-year existence, the music has made about $103 million in earnings, the regulation agency estimates. The projections embrace international streaming and non-streaming income sources, in line with Manatt, which created Billboard’s royalty calculator.
The music’s 2 billion international Spotify streams alone earned $9.8 million in royalties, in line with the calculator.
However Carey solely will get a portion of these earnings.
Why Carey is probably going getting paid ‘six methods to Sunday’
Mariah Carey performs through the opening present of Mariah Carey: All I Need For Christmas Is You at Beacon Theatre on Dec. 5, 2016 in New York Metropolis.
Jeff Kravitz | Filmmagic, Inc | Getty Photos
The ecosystem of music royalties is notoriously convoluted.
Cash flows to many contributors, like writers, performers, producers, sound mixers and report labels. Payouts to every particular person can fluctuate from music to music, relying on contractual phrases, specialists stated.
The phrases of Carey’s royalty offers aren’t public information.
“No matter it’s, it is some huge cash,” stated , a music, leisure and mental property lawyer at regulation agency Donahue Fitzgerald.
Natasha Chee
senior counsel at Donahue Fitzgerald
The singer is probably going getting a “larger chunk” of income than most artists, Howard stated. That is due to Carey’s a number of credit on the music: She’s listed as the only real performer, in addition to its co-writer and co-producer. (Walter Afanasieff is the opposite co-writer and co-producer.)
Such a large number of credit is uncommon to see, Howard stated. And it is an essential think about Carey’s final take-home pay.
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Music royalties are completely different from these of different works like books or images.
That is as a result of there are two distinct royalty streams — one for music composition and one other for sound recording, stated Jordan Bromley, associate and head of Manatt Leisure. Consider the previous just like the sheet music sitting in your piano (the songwriting), and the latter because the recorded music that you just hear, he stated.
Every has its personal royalty construction. The royalties for music composition are acquired by songwriters and publishers, whereas these for sound recording are paid to music performers and their labels, Howard stated.
Carey “has each the copyright to the music and the sound recording, so she’s getting paid on each side,” Howard stated.
“She’s getting paid six methods to Sunday,” he stated.
Svetikd | E+ | Getty Photos
A music’s writers and publishers — and never its performers — get the royalties when a music performs in a public area, corresponding to on TV and radio, or in eating places and retail shops, specialists stated. The U.S. is among the few international locations to have such a rule, Howard stated.
Which means Carey (and Afanasieff, her co-writer) will get royalties each time a canopy model of “All I Need for Christmas Is You” performs within the public area. Over 150 performers have coated the music, according to ASCAP, a performing rights group.
Carey and Afanasieff cut up their writing credit with publishers together with Common Music, Sony Music and Kobalt Songs Music Publishing, according to ASCAP.
Nonetheless, music recording usually brings in 4 to 5 occasions the income of songwriting, Bromley stated.
“When you’re a songwriter with no report income, it is exhausting to make a dwelling even in case you’re making hits,” he stated.
The artist’s take of the recording income relative to the label’s can swing broadly, anyplace from 20% as much as 90%, relying on the contract, Bromley stated. “All I Need for Christmas Is You” was launched by Columbia Data, which is owned by Sony Music.
Afanasieff, Sony Music and Kobalt Songs Music Publishing did not return requests for remark. Common Music Publishing Group declined remark.
Why Carey might have revamped $2.7 million in 2022
Santa Claus and Mariah Carey throughout a pre-tape efficiency for NBC’s Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Middle on Nov. 27, 2012 in New York Metropolis.
James Devaney | Wireimage | Getty Photos
Specialists observe that earnings from report gross sales and licensing can fluctuate drastically from yr to yr, whereas income from streaming and efficiency is extra predictable.
Of the aforementioned estimated $8.5 million in international income and publishing royalties that “All I Need for Christmas Is You” earned in 2022, the Carey grasp recording introduced in $5.3 million and publishing royalties accounted for the remaining $3.2 million, Billboard stated.
What was Carey’s reduce?
She made about $1.9 million of the grasp recording income, Billboard estimated, whereas her label, Sony, saved the opposite $3.4 million.
She’s getting paid six methods to Sunday.
George Howard
professor on the Berklee School of Music
Carey additionally earned an estimated $1.6 million of the publishing, assuming she and Afanasieff cut up the writing 50-50. However her take-home pay would have been much less, relying on her publishing deal — maybe starting from about $795,000 to $1.4 million, Billboard stated.
All instructed, these estimates recommend Carey might have made about $2.7 million to $3.3 million from recording and publishing in 2022.
This excludes income from any monetary preparations for soundtracks from Christmas TV specials, that are possible profitable, in line with Billboard. It additionally excludes cowl variations of the music.
“There is a ton of income that opens up” for a pop star who is sort of “co-branded” with Christmas, together with offers for model endorsements, dwell performances, cosmetics, dwelling items and attire, Manatt Leisure’s Bromley stated.
The present that retains giving
Image Alliance | Image Alliance | Getty Photos
The music is the present that can maintain carry on giving for years, specialists stated.
The copyright for works revealed after Jan. 1, 1978, usually stays intact for the writer’s lifetime, plus 70 years after the writer’s demise, in line with Chee of Donahue Fitzgerald.
Within the case of a joint work with two or extra authors, corresponding to “All I Need for Christmas Is You,” the rule applies to the final surviving writer.
Meaning Carey’s property will possible rake in royalties for many years, till the music finally passes into the general public area, she stated. When that occurs, the music would be a part of the ranks of Christmas classics like “Jingle Bells” and “We Want You a Merry Christmas,” which might usually be freely shared and adapted.
