How Much Do Christmas Songs Really Make?

Holiday Hits That Make Millions: Mariah, Wham!, and Ariana Cash In on Christmas Classics

A new study reveals the most popular Christmas songs and exactly how much artists have earned.  

The study, conducted by expert casino analyst SlotsCalendar, looked at Spotify’s most-streamed Christmas songs, compiling a list of the top 100 most popular using Spotify Playlist Miner. These were then looked at for the number of streams (as of November 2024) on the official artist’s page and royalties were calculated on the basis that each stream earns approximately £0.003.  

Top 15 highest-earning Christmas songs 

The study revealed Mariah Carey’s classic Christmas tune All I Want for Christmas Is You is the highest earning song on the list, earning the singer roughly £5.67 million in royalties on Spotify. Globally, the song has been played over 1.83 billion times and is a staple over the festive season and it is important to note Carey herself says the correct day to start listening is on November 1st. When the song first came out in 1994, it only peaked at 12th place on the Billboard Hot 100, though it has gone on to be the most-played song on this list. 

Next in line is Wham!’s Last Christmas, earning the group a reported £4.75 million in royalties from Spotify. The song came out in 1984, however was kept from the number one spot by Do They Know It’s Christmas which George Michael also featured in. Despite this, the song is the second most–streamed Christmas tune on Spotify, having been played over 1.54 billion times.  

In third place is Ariana Grande’s Santa Tell Me which has reportedly earned Grande over £3.28 million in streaming royalties. The 2014 hit has never reached number 1, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, but has over 1.06 billion streams on Spotify. 

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee comes in as the fourth highest earning song, earning over £3.16 million in royalties. The song, originally released in 1958, has become a holiday classic and currently has over 1.02 billion streams.  

The king of Christmas, Michael Bublé’s version of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas comes next. The song, streamed over one billion times, has earned Bublé over £3.12 million in royalties from Spotify since its release in 2011. The song was originally written in 1951 and has been covered by many famous artists, though none so successful with it as Bublé.  

Sia’s Snowman, a more recent addition to the holiday music scene, ranks sixth with £3.05 million in royalties from over 988 million Spotify streams. The song is her most successful from her 2017 Everyday is Christmas album and is a fan favorite. 

In seventh place is Bobby Helms’ Jingle Bell Rock from 1957. The song has earned approximately £3.01 million in royalties so far. The rock n’ roll holiday hit has over 976 million streams on Spotify and, decades after its release, remains a staple this time of year. 

Earning over £2.63 million in royalties on Spotify is Andy Williams’ It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. The song has been streamed over 853 million times, yet never quite reached number one, with it peaking at no.5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2020. 

Another newer classic, Justin Bieber’s Mistletoe lands in ninth place with the star reportedly earning £2.39 million in royalties thanks to the song. The song has been streamed over 776 million times since its release in 2011.  

Following Bieber, Feliz Navidad by José Feliciano rounds off the top 10, earning a reported £2.07 million from 673 million streams.  

Commenting on the study, Viorel Stan, CEO of SlotsCalendar, said, “Christmas songs are perfect for getting into that festive mood, and it is no surprise how many on this list have over 1 billion streams worldwide. 

“For an artist, a Christmas hit is a sure way to guarantee income for many years to come. Artists have multiple different streams of revenue nowadays, but online streaming can often constitute a big bulk of their royalties. 

“Christmas songs have a timeless appeal, returning year after year to brighten the holiday season. A hit track can generate significant revenue annually, making it an easy win for artists, even if many retail workers dread the endless loop of familiar tunes during the holiday rush. Still, for many, these songs mark the true beginning of the festive season.” 

Credit to: https://www.slotscalendar.com/ who commissioned the research.