The Streaming Era Brings Up Old and Unique Christmas Songs through Algorithms

JAKARTA - The streaming era has changed the way the world consumes holiday music, such as Christmas songs. If in the past the audience was limited to the collection of vinyl or CDs they had, now digital playlist algorithms and curators are able to revive old songs that had been forgotten, even songs that were considered strange or parodies.

Carianne Marshall, COO of Warner Chappell Music, highlighted how songs like "Dominic the Donkey" or "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" are now re-emerging on major playlists.

According to him, unlimited access to music databases makes songs that were once only popular in certain regions, now can become global consumption.

"These songs were pulled from nowhere to be added to the playlist," Marshall said, launching the Billboard YouTube channel, Friday, December 19.

"Maybe it happened 10 years ago, who knows when, but for sure those songs are not in the original classic list," he added.

Interestingly, the cultural differences between the United Kingdom and the United States also created a unique Christmas hit "clash".

In Britain, songs from the 1970s glam rock era such as those by Slade and Wizzard are office party must-haves. While in the US, the songs are barely heard.

However, thanks to social media platforms such as TikTok, this geographical barrier is slowly collapsing and the songs are meeting new listeners.

Warner Chappell CEO Guy Moot added that the strength of Christmas songs lies in their economic stability. Even though it's only played one month a year, its revenue is very predictable.

"If you look at the economic value of a song, Christmas songs are very valuable gems. The revenue is very consistent and stable every year, just as sure as the arrival of Christmas itself," said Moot.

This trend shows that in the future, the success of Christmas songs is no longer determined by vocal quality, but rather how strongly the song is able to trigger nostalgia or even go viral through algorithmic curation on social media.