Christmas is just two weeks away and festive songs are in full swing – but which artist makes the most money at this time of year. Here’s the top 10, according to Spotify
Christmas hasn’t started until you’ve heard Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You – but it might surprise you to know she’s not the highest Christmas earner.
Though the ‘Queen of Christmas’ is said to pocket a staggering £8 million from Christmas streams of her hit song alone, there’s one artist who takes home more every year. So who is the person in question?
It’s the ‘King of Christmas’, Canadian crooner Michael Buble. The 50-year-old is the biggest overall earner during the festive season. Of his total £26 million coming from Spotify streams, £11.8 million is from Christmassongs – the highest total of all artists.
Ariana Grande comes in third place. This is despite only 4% of her music on Spotify being Christmas themed, like Santa Tell Me. Yet the 32-year-old Wicked star is still pulling in £5.8 million for her contribution to Spotify’s favourite Christmas playlists. This is in addition to the £133 million she gets from the rest of her discography.
READ MORE: ‘I tried Wetherspoons’ Christmas dinner and can sum it up in two words’
Wham’s Last Christmas, released in December 1984 and sung by music legend George Michael – who sadly died on Christmas Day 2016 at the age of 53 – is in fourth place with their huge hit pulling in £4.5 million a year from Spotify streams alone.
Justin Bieber is next on the list, making £3.6 million from his Christmas songs that include Christmas Love, Mistletoe and recordings of All I Want For Christmas Is You and Santa Claus is Coming To Town.
Brenda Lee might be 81 now, but she’s still Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree from the hit she released in 1958 when she was just 13 years old. It’s said to earn her a whopping £3.5 million in streams.
Kelly Clarkson also earns £3.5 million for her Christmas back catalogue that includes hits like Underneath the Tree, Santa, Can’t You Hear Me, Christmas Eve and Silent Night.
White Christmas and It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year singer Andy Williams passed away in 2012, but his music still makes £3.5 million every Christmas.
John Lennon’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over) rakes in £1.6 million each year. While Elton John’s classic Step Into Christmas adds £1.5 million to his fortune over the festive season.
Libby Mayfield, Head of Marketing for Dark Horse SEO agency who carried out the research said: “When you look at the numbers, Christmas isn’t just a season, it’s a business model. For some artists, one festive hit isn’t just a chart success, it’s the backbone of their entire streaming income. For others, a few Christmas covers can boost their revenue by millions.
“Ultimately, it’s hard to look at this data and not wonder where originality has gone. Sure, some songs are classics, but what is it about recent years that’s made it so tempting to rehash and rerecord instead of writing new music?”
READ MORE: Ted Baker necklace that’s an affordable alternative to Kate Middleton’s pearl jewellery is on sale
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply