Big Returns, Sure in Holiday Albums

22 December 2007

Easy and big bucks are a surety in making holiday albums. Promoting and marketing holiday records take a different twist, though.

Many holiday albums hit millions in sales including ‘Elvis' Christmas Album’, which had nine million copies sold in 1957, ’Miracles: The Holiday Album’ with eight million copies sold, ’A Christmas Album’ with five million, and many more.

"If it's really good, it can go for 20 years," said by the Capitol Records Nashville’s vice president of sales, Bill Kennedy.

"It is a very short window that begins in late October, hits its peak the first two weeks of December, and then falls off the cliff right after the holiday," explained Ben Kline of the Universal Music Group Nashville sales, marketing and new media’s executive vice president.

Joe Galante of the Sony BMG Nashville said that TV appearances were crucial because of the limited marketing and promotions time. "We think of Christmas CDs as albums that will sell mainly for three to five years and won't be driven by hit singles on the radio," Galante said.

Sales for holiday albums are lower compared to standard releases. "If it can sell gold (500,000) or better, that's hugely successful," said Capitol Records' Kennedy. "And if you can do a minimum of 250,000 as a base that would be all right."

When asked to record the ‘Blue Christmas’, Presley first refused it but when he did, it became a really big hit.

Gordon Stoker, who was part of the vocal group that supported Presley for the song, said that the refusal was due to the singer’s respect to Ernest Tubb.