Mariah Carey’s Dominance In December: Evergreen Music
Listening to holiday music around this time of year is a staple of the season of giving. From Kwanzaa music to Christmas music, our favorite songs give us that excitement for the holidays.
Around this time of year, I always pay attention to the music playing in the store as I shop for my family and friends. Most of the time they are playing the exact same songs, but usually with different singers. This is what makes this season so interesting.
Every Christmas song you love may have 100+ different interpolations for every genre. Popular artists of all kinds like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Michael Jackson have all done Christmas albums!
But why is that?
I’ll avoid the music copyright discussion (though it is a big part of it, see the link) because then we’ll have to talk about the 70-year rule and stuff and that’s a lot!
The biggest reason why is that Christmas music, just like all music that is linked with a holiday or an event, is “evergreen music.”
“Evergreen” is a content creation term that essentially means that you can post it at any time and it will still be relevant. Regardless of audience, time period, or any other constraint that may make something not last, evergreen content stands the test of time. Just like the trees…
Here’s a non-music example: have you ever watched a “classic” movie from the 80s and cringed at the things that were said and done in the movie?
Yeah… those movies aren’t evergreen. Keep that misogyny and discrimination in 1982, please!
For music making specifically, it is hard to make evergreen music because the popular music styles and genres are constantly changing. Only hit songs stand the test of time for the most part, so those hits are considered evergreen.
A music example of an evergreen song is Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. Sweet Caroline was released in 1969. 1969! The year we went to the moon! I just heard it at a wedding last week, and guess what — everyone was singing it!
But to bring “evergreen music” full circle, Christmas music represents a prime opportunity to capitalize on making an evergreen hit. Christmas comes every year, so if artists can make a song that resonates with people, they can reap the benefits of an evergreen song without having to ever make their Sweet Caroline equivalent classic.
Mariah Carey accomplished that with All I Want For Christmas Is You in 1994. It has almost been 30 years since that song was first released. Since then, she has made approximately $60 million dollars!
Yes — you saw that correctly… $60 MILLION DOLLARS!!
Every year, she makes approximately $1 Million dollars off of royalties alone. This number does not include performances, advertisements, or The Mariah Menu at McDonald’s. And that’s one song…
Here’s the takeaway: Sweet Caroline and All I Want For Christmas Is You resonate with people. When you make music, either for the season of giving or for your own expression, try to help someone else in that expression. Make something that you feel will connect with someone else in their own life. Then maybe you can reap the benefits of evergreen music too.
