How streaming killed the Christmas charts
Mariah Carey’s seasonal ubiquity illustrates the new economics of music
THE BATTLE to be top of the charts on Christmas Day has been won in recent years by the likes of Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande. But lately these singers have faced competition from an unexpected source: the 20th century. Despite the best efforts of today’s young stars, the December charts have become dominated by musicians who are well into middle age, or dead.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Ghosts of Christmas past”
Business December 4th 2021
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