It has been analyzed that pop star Mariah Carey earns billions of won every year from just one song, All I Want For Christmas Is You, which has become synonymous with Christmas carols.
According to a report by CNBC on the 25th, citing estimates from Billboard, Carey is estimated to have earned $2.7 million to $3.3 million (about 3.94 billion to 4.82 billion won) from this song alone in 2022.
These figures are mainly from revenue generated through song downloads or streaming, excluding income related to more lucrative TV specials.
However, CNBC reported that Carey and the record label have never disclosed the copyright contract details for this song, making it difficult to determine the exact revenue.
The media reported that the song has maintained its popularity for 30 years since its release in 1994 and has been rising in the charts, suggesting that Carey's recent actual revenue would be even greater.
Global music streaming company Spotify announced that the song recently surpassed 2 billion streams, a first among songs related to Christmas.
Since 2016, this song has claimed the top spot in streaming on Spotify every Christmas.
According to music industry market research firm Luminate, the total number of audio streams of this song in the United States last year was 249 million, an increase of about 49% compared to 167 million in 2019.
George Howard, a professor at Berklee College of Music and former president of the independent record label Rykodisc, described the song as a "money machine" and said it is "an incredible phenomenon."
Howard estimated that the song generates $2 million to $4 million (about 2.92 billion to 5.84 billion won) in revenue annually.
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, a music industry legal office, estimated the song's annual audio revenue at $3.4 million and projected the total earnings over the past 30 years to be about $103 million (about 150.3 billion won).
However, Carey's share of these audio revenues is only a portion, as the record label and others take a significant percentage.
The U.S. distribution structure for record and audio copyright revenue is extremely complex, but Carey is expected to receive more revenue than a typical singer because she not only performed the song but also participated in writing, composing, and producing it.
Experts predict that this song will continue to generate revenue for years to come.