Christmas songs - £££$$$

[casapete]

Interesting article in the ipaper yesterday by Grace Causden all about money earned from writing and/or 

recording Christmas tunes.

 

Mariah Carey has reportedly earned more than £60m from ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ since it’s release

in 1994, more than £2m a year.

 

Other honourable mentions -

Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ - about £1m royalties a year

Pogues hit with Kirsty McColl ‘Fairytale of New York’ - circa £400,000 a year

Bing Crosby, ‘White Christmas’ - £328,000 a year

Wham! ‘Last Christmas’ £300,000 a year

Sir Paul McCartney - ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ £260,000 a year

Jona Lewie ‘Stop the cavalry’ - £120,000 a year

East 17 ‘Stay another day’ - £97,000

 

Time to get writing that everlasting Xmas belter eh? 

[BigRedX]

Are this mechanical royalties (from record/CD sales, downloads, streaming etc.) or performance royalties or both?

 

Why the ability to write a good song is far more important financially, than being able the play technical complex stuff on your instrument of choice.

 

And yes, I'm currently involved in writing a "Christmas" song.

Edited December 2, 2022 by BigRedX

[Dad3353]

13 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

...And yes, I'm currently involved in writing a "Christmas" song.

 

... titled 'Happy Big Red Xmas, Everybody' 

[PaulThePlug]

I'm thinking of writing a little ditty called 'Black Friday'...

[Dan Dare]

6 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

I'm thinking of writing a little ditty called 'Black Friday'...

 

Walter Becker and Donald Fagen beat you to it.

[Dan Dare]

I've no doubt that Shane McGowan spends his £400k wisely each year. He's probably on his Peloton bike right now 😁

Edited December 2, 2022 by Dan Dare

[Lozz196]

39 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

I've no doubt that Shane McGowan spends his £400k wisely each year. He's probably on his Peloton bike right now 😁

And wondering why after pedalling furiously for 4hrs he’s still no nearer to the pub……

[Maude]

4 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

I've no doubt that Shane McGowan spends his £400k wisely each year. He's probably on his Peloton bike right now 😁

On the contrary. I saw a recent interview where he said, "I harawah karamah clomascsh schler scaarmererer hach hach eshesheshc". 

Or something like that. 

[Guest]

My new christmas song, "Putting Up the Tree on 1st September", is going to make me minted. 

 

"Taking the Presents Back To Marks For a Refund on Boxing Day" will be the surprise summer hit that sets me up for life.

[Grimalkin]

 

[joeystrange]

17 hours ago, casapete said:

Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ - about £1m royalties a year

Noddy has long referred to this song as his pension plan.

[Grimalkin]

"Slick Nick stole a reindeer from the zoo
Fell down my chimney with a keg of brew..."

 

 

[Lozz196]

A mate of mines Xmas song was covered by Frank Turner a few years back. I still prefer the original though.

 

 

 

[NancyJohnson]

Wonderful Christmastime by Macca/Wings makes me feel very warm and fuzzy any time I hear it.

 

My dad loved Christmas.  Little kid joy.  I just remember him, 7.00am Christmas morning, opening my bedroom door, cup of tea for me in one hand, a little Hitachi radio-cassette player in the other, Wonderful Christmastime blaring, and him shouting, 'Come on boy!  Time for the up!  It's Christmaaaaaaas!'.

[Grimalkin]

 

[Cato]

On 02/12/2022 at 16:30, casapete said:

Time to get writing that everlasting Xmas belter eh? 

 

Many have tried, but I can't think of a new Christmas song that's made itself a permanent fixture on the festive playlists that was released later than 1994, which a quick Google has informed me saw the release of East17's ''Stay Now' as well Mariah Carey's 'All I want for Christmas'.

Edited December 4, 2022 by Cato

[Lozz196]

Leona Lewis made a decent offering with One More Sleep in 2013

[Maude]

1 minute ago, Cato said:

 

Many have tried, but I can't think of a new Christmas song that's made itself a permanent fixture on the festive playlists that was released later than 1994, which a quick Google has I formed saw the release of East17's ''Stay Now' as well Mariah Carey's 'All I want for Christmas'.

The Darkness' Christmas Time (don't let the bells end) seems to have become a Christmas fixture, released 2003.

Holy holly berries Batman, is that really nearly 20 years old?!

[Lozz196]

Of course, how could I have forgotten that, a classic. 

[Maude]

10 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Of course, how could I have forgotten that, a classic. 

It always makes me chuckle. Typical Justin Hawkins writing a song with the lyrics "bells end" and "ring in peace". 

[Lozz196]

5 minutes ago, Maude said:

It always makes me chuckle. Typical Justin Hawkins writing a song with the lyrics "bells end" and "ring in peace". 

And apparently they cut out the Save Our Souls bit that the kids were going to sing.

[martthebass]

On 02/12/2022 at 16:30, casapete said:

Interesting article in the ipaper yesterday by Grace Causden all about money earned from writing and/or 

recording Christmas tunes.

 

Mariah Carey has reportedly earned more than £60m from ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ since it’s release

in 1994, more than £2m a year.

 

Other honourable mentions -

Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ - about £1m royalties a year

Pogues hit with Kirsty McColl ‘Fairytale of New York’ - circa £400,000 a year

Bing Crosby, ‘White Christmas’ - £328,000 a year

Wham! ‘Last Christmas’ £300,000 a year

Sir Paul McCartney - ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ £260,000 a year

Jona Lewie ‘Stop the cavalry’ - £120,000 a year

East 17 ‘Stay another day’ - £97,000

 

Time to get writing that everlasting Xmas belter eh? 

The XMas song our drummer wrote a couple of years back, Glam Fever, has been recorded by 70s band Hello. Not sure he’ll be able to retire just yet though.