Following closely is Wham!'s Last Christmas, which has earned the group around $7.6 million in Spotify royalties. Released in 1984, the song was famously kept from the number one spot by Do They Know It’s Christmas, which also featured George Michael. Nevertheless, Last Christmas has been streamed over 1.53 billion times, making it the second most-streamed Christmas song on Spotify.
In third place is Ariana Grande’s Santa Tell Me, which has generated over $5.3 million in streaming royalties. Although the 2014 hit peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, it has amassed over 1.06 billion streams on Spotify.
Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree ranks fourth, earning more than $5.1 million in royalties. Originally released in 1958, this holiday classic has garnered over 1.02 billion streams.
Michael Bublé’s rendition of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas follows. Streamed over one billion times, it has earned Bublé more than $5 million in Spotify royalties since its 2011 release. The song, originally written in 1951, has been covered by many artists, but none as successfully as Bublé.
Sia’s Snowman, a more recent addition to holiday playlists, ranks sixth with $4.8 million in royalties from over 979 million Spotify streams.
Bobby Helms’ Jingle Bell Rock, released in 1957, holds the seventh spot with approximately $4.8 million in royalties. The rock 'n' roll holiday classic has over 971 million Spotify streams and remains a festive favourite.
Andy Williams’ It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year has earned over $4.2 million in Spotify royalties. Despite never reaching number one, the song has been streamed over 849 million times and peaked at no.5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2020.
Justin Bieber’s Mistletoe, released in 2011, lands in ninth place, generating around $3.8 million in royalties from over 773 million streams.
Rounding off the top 10 is José Feliciano’s Feliz Navidad, which has earned approximately $3.3 million from 670 million streams
“Although these are huge amounts of money, they really are the gold dust of the streaming platforms,” comments Robert Emery, a professional conductor and Founder of Ted’s List. “An artist has such an infinitesimal chance of appearing in this list, that we must always remember the 99% of artists who are making incredible music, but are not being heard.
The analysis of popular Christmas songs on Spotify is based on data sourced from Spotify Playlist Miner and Spotify's curated playlists. These tools provide insights into the streaming habits of users, focusing on playlists that prominently feature the term “Christmas."
The number of streams, accurate as of 18 November 2024, was calculated for each hit. Only the version of the song with the highest number of streams, and therefore the highest earning capability, was considered.
Songs are selected based on their streaming frequency and inclusion in popular playlists. This approach allows for an accurate assessment of which tracks resonate most with listeners during the holiday season and which of those tracks are earning the highest.
Streaming royalties are calculated based on the number of plays a song receives, with artists earning a fraction of a cent per stream. This model, while modest per play, accumulates significantly for songs with high streaming volumes, particularly during peak holiday periods.
Photo via Apple TV
Read more:
How Leona Lewis became the UK queen of Christmas with One More Sleep: “One More Sleep took a while to build momentum and I remember being quite disappointed. Now, I hear it every year.” Read here.
As part of AKG’s Stories Behind the Sessions Series, radio and television presenter, producer, and journalist Nic Harcourt interviews legendary producer Walter Afanasieff to discuss co-writing and producing All I Want For Christmas Is You. Watch / listen below:
