Some call her crazy. I call her one of the most genius businesswomen to exist in the history of music. What does the Christmas season sound like? Something along the lines of *dinging noises* “I—– don’t want a lot fooorrrrr Christmas. THEERRE is just one thing I-I-I need…” (failed attempt of trying to type the lyrics like the way she sings them). Interested in getting rich every single year? Take notes from Mariah Carey.

Recently, Mariah Carey’s hit Christmas single ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, becoming the first Christmas track to take the spot since ‘The Chipmunk Song’ 60 years ago. Unlike most Christmas songs, ‘All I want for Christmas is You’ finds itself mixed into overall music top charts, not just on Christmas playlists. Currently, the single is holding the number 7 spot on Spotify’s the United States Top 50 playlist and is only expected to climb as the holiday season progresses. 

So we all know that the track is a Christmas icon, but many may not know just how this affects Mariah Carey each year. Since its release in 1994, the hit has earned Carey over $60 million dollars in the U.S. alone. In the UK, the song reportedly earns $500,000 each year. In addition, Carey is also receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars every year from streaming services such as Spotify, corresponding to the number of times it is streamed. To reinforce how popular the song is, looking at just Spotify in 2016, the track was played more than 210 million times. According to Business Insider, Carey’s total earnings (not including the other popular tracks on her Christmas album ‘Merry Christmas’) sum up to just under $520 million dollars as of last year. The total earnings from the song are much higher, as her record label and associates receive a cut of the profits. Combined with her many other hit songs (including her other Christmas hits), Carey has a cumulative net worth of about $300 million (3 times more than that of Ariana Grande for comparison). 

For Mariah Carey, monetary success and fame followed her hard work and outstanding vocals she demonstrated in a small New York City studio 25 years ago, and only more will come. The track has appealed to all generations and will continue to be a Christmas song staple. Despite not wanting “a lot for Christmas” in 1994, Santa Claus seems to have given Mariah Carey a much bigger and substantial gift.