2024 Chicago Christmas Music Trends, with Interesting Year Over Year Analysis

As I write this article on December 26, 2024, I wonder where the year has gone. It felt like just yesterday I was writing this same article for last year. Between moving into a new office and getting engaged, it has been nothing but craziness as 2024 comes to a close. This year, I revisited my efforts to explore Chicago Christmas Music and whether Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is the most played Christmas song on Chicago’s 93.9 Lite FM. My original algorithm, written in PHP and hosted in the cloud, has evolved significantly over the past year. Specifically, I learned Python for data analytics at my 9-5 and used it to extrapolate better insights this year by querying music databases

Leveraging MusicBrainz for Metadata

One of the major changes this year was the integration of MusicBrainz, an open music database that provides detailed metadata about songs, including their runtime and release year. By utilizing the MusicBrainz API, I was able to enhance my data collection and analysis significantly. Here’s how it worked:

• Song Runtime: Using MusicBrainz, I retrieved the exact duration of each track to calculate precise playtime statistics.
• Release Year: Adding release year data allowed me to analyze trends such as the popularity of songs from specific decades.

The MusicBrainz API proved invaluable for filling in metadata gaps and automating processes that would have otherwise required manual input. This improvement not only allowed me to glean more data from my original algorithm, buy reveal some interesting trends!

Refining the Python Algorithm

This year, I focused on refining the core Python script that powers my data analysis. Key improvements include:

1. Error Handling: Comprehensive error-handling mechanisms ensure the script can gracefully recover from API rate limits, network interruptions, or missing data entries.
2. Data Aggregation: The script now aggregates data more efficiently by directly querying MusicBrainz for metadata and integrating it with the web-scraped song logs.
3. Cloud Hosting: Hosting the script in the cloud ensures continuous data logging, unaffected by local power outages or hardware failures—issues that plagued me in the past.
4. Enhanced Reporting: With the additional metadata from MusicBrainz, the reporting includes detailed breakdowns by song runtime, release decade, and play counts.

Challenges and Lessons Learned

While the integration of MusicBrainz greatly enhanced the project, it was not without its challenges:

• Rate Limits: The MusicBrainz API has usage restrictions, which required careful planning to batch API calls and implement caching to reduce redundant queries.
• Data Quality: Some songs lacked complete metadata, necessitating fallback mechanisms to infer missing information.

Despite these hurdles, the benefits far outweighed the drawbacks, and the enriched dataset allowed for a deeper analysis than ever before.

Results

One of the most interesting findings this year was the significant increase in the total number of songs logged. In 2024, I tracked 14,637 songs, compared to 10,474 songs in 2023, and 9,513 songs in 2022—a jump of 4,163 songs! This growth in song count could be attributed to several factors:

• Shorter Songs: The overall trend toward shorter songs in the Christmas playlist could explain part of this increase. Shorter songs would naturally allow for more tracks to be played within the same timeframe.
• Fewer Commercials (Doubtful, but once can guess): Another possibility is that the station has reduced the number of commercials or shortened their duration, allowing more songs to air.
• Metadata Expansion: With more detailed metadata available for the station’s song logs, the dataset has grown to include more tracks that were previously overlooked.

Here are some key highlights from this year’s data:

Artists

The ranking of the most played artists in Chicago’s Christmas music landscape was an interesting mix of the old and the new. Andy Williams continues to dominate the list, followed closely by Mariah Carey and Amy Grant. However, the year-over-year changes in the percentage of total plays for these artists reveal interesting insights:

• Andy Williams maintained a strong presence, but his percentage of total plays decreased in 2024, indicating that while he still remains a favorite, there is more diversity in the playlist.
• Mariah Carey and Amy Grant both saw a slight decrease in their percentage of total plays, reflecting a shift towards a broader range of artists in the rotation. Both of these artists show strong, consistent performance across the three years, with only slight variations in play counts. Mariah Carey had a significant spike in 2023, but in 2024, her count drops slightly.

• Michael Bublé and Bing Crosby have shown notable growth, particularly Michael Bublé, whose play counts surged from 92 in 2022 to 481 in 2024, reflecting increased popularity.
• Vince Guaraldi Trio, Frank Sinatra, and Johnny Mathis also show upward trends, with steady growth in play counts over the years.
• Some artists like Nat King Cole and Brenda Lee exhibit substantial dips in 2023, followed by slight recovery in 2024.
• Newer entries like the Jackson 5 and Wham! show strong performances in 2024 despite having no or very limited play counts in 2022 or 2023, suggesting that their music may have gained attention more recently.

Artist-Specific Insights

• Michael Bublé: His popularity seems to be increasing significantly. From a lower count in 2022 (92), his plays increased sharply, likely due to his association with Christmas music becoming more prominent in recent years.
• Bing Crosby: Although his numbers grew steadily, there is a notable spike between 2022 and 2023. This could be tied to increased nostalgia-driven listens, especially around Christmas, and his association with holiday standards.
• Amy Grant: Amy Grant has had relatively stable performance across all three years, indicating sustained popularity. However, a slight decrease in 2024 may suggest a slight dip in listeners’ engagement with her music.
• Mariah Carey: Known for her poster song “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey experienced a large increase in plays in 2023, likely due to the song’s enduring popularity in the holiday season. The slight drop in 2024 could reflect a normalization after an especially high 2023.
• Gene Autry: Gene Autry’s plays remain relatively stable, showing a strong and consistent following over the years, likely due to his classic Christmas songs.
• Trans-Siberian Orchestra: Their Christmas music sees a steady count, indicating continued interest in their performances, though they aren’t seeing the same growth as other artists like Michael Bublé.
• Lindsey Stirling: After a minimal presence in 2022, Lindsey Stirling saw a significant rise in plays in 2023 and 2024, which may point to growing seasonal popularity and the influence of her distinctive musical style.

Implications for Next Year

• Nostalgia and Consistency: Classic artists like Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra continue to hold significant sway, with many having consistent, if not growing, play counts year after year. Their enduring popularity indicates that listeners continue to turn to these established favorites for holiday spirit.
• Newer Holiday Music: Artists like Lindsey Stirling and Michael Bublé represent a shift toward newer or more contemporary holiday music, which is steadily gaining traction, possibly reflecting a younger demographic’s engagement with seasonal music.
• Shifting Patterns: There’s evidence of both cyclical and one-time surges in listening habits. This suggests a holiday music market that reacts strongly to media influence, playlist placements, and annual holiday trends.

Andy Williams reigns supreme this year over Mariah Carey. If you turned on the lite, the percentages of hearing these artists decreased, which indicated there was more variety in artists this year.   

One point of data to note was using my new-found data through MusicBrainz, I was able to track down when most songs that were played were released. I detailed some of my findings below and some takeaways from the data:

Early Decades (1900s to 1940s)

• 1900s to 1930s (0 songs): There are no significant releases from the 1910s through the 1930s, which may suggest that the early years of the 20th century were not heavily focused on holiday-specific releases. It’s also possible that recording technology and the music industry as a whole weren’t yet developed enough to facilitate widespread production of seasonal music.
• 1940s (4 songs): The first releases that are still played on the radio begin int the 1940s, likely due to the advent of mass media like radio and television, allowed holiday music to reach larger audiences. However, the numbers remain low, indicating that the Christmas music genre was still in its formative years.

Post-War Growth (1950s to 1970s)

• 1950s (5 songs): The 1950s marked the beginning of the modern era of Christmas music, with artists like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley popularizing Christmas albums. However, the number of new songs remains limited, perhaps reflecting the industry’s focus on broader pop music rather than specialized holiday content.
• 1960s (12 songs): The 1960s saw an increase in holiday releases, with the rise of influential artists like the Jackson 5 and Burl Ives, who shaped the landscape of Christmas music. The expansion of the television industry also helped make holiday songs more mainstream.
• 1970s (8 songs): The 1970s saw steady but less dramatic growth in Christmas music releases. Artists like John Lennon and Paul McCartney contributed to the seasonal music landscape, but Christmas music was still a secondary market to mainstream pop and rock.

Commercial Boom (1980s to 1990s)

• 1980s (20 songs): The 1980s marked a significant increase in the production of Christmas music, especially with the rise of Mariah Carey, Wham!, and Bruce Springsteen. These years saw the merging of Christmas music with popular culture, with artists releasing more albums and singles during the holiday season. The industry’s ability to market Christmas music as a seasonal product likely contributed to the higher number of releases.
• 1990s (76 songs): The 1990s represent a major expansion in Christmas music, with significant releases from both established artists and newcomers. The rise of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (1994), in particular, changed the holiday music landscape, making the genre a perennial chart-topper. The digital age was also beginning to take hold, which further boosted the accessibility of holiday music across multiple platforms.

2000s to 2020s: Modern-Day Holiday Music Explosion

• 2000s (107 songs): The early 2000s saw a massive surge in holiday music releases, reaching its peak in 2007 with Mariah Carey’s continued dominance in the Christmas genre. The digital revolution, coupled with the growing presence of streaming services, made Christmas music more accessible, with a greater variety of artists contributing to the genre. It was also a period when artists from across genres began releasing holiday-themed albums, further solidifying Christmas music as a genre unto itself.
• 2010s (90 songs): Although there was a slight decrease in the number of releases from the 2000s, the 2010s still saw high levels of new Christmas music. New artists like Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix revitalized the genre, alongside traditional favorites. The rise of streaming platforms also meant that older and newer Christmas music could be easily consumed, maintaining the genre’s cultural relevance.
• 2020s (64 songs): The 2020s have continued the trend of abundant holiday music releases, but at a slightly lower rate compared to the previous two decades. This could be due to the saturation of the market as well as the global pandemic’s impact on music production and consumption patterns. Streaming platforms continue to dominate, and artists are using creative means like virtual concerts or collaborations to reach audiences during the holidays.

Christmas music has evolved from a niche genre into a major component of the music industry, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st century. The rise of streaming platforms and digital sales has transformed how Christmas music is consumed, with new and classic releases reaching global audiences. While there has been some saturation in recent years, the genre remains an integral part of holiday traditions, with both new artists and established names continuing to contribute to its festive atmosphere.

2023 Most Played Christmas Song  TITLE in Chicago

Of the 101 songs titles I catalogged this year, Sleigh Ride once again reigned supreme! The trend of Sleigh Ride continues to dominate, but there are signs of increased diversity in the tracks played. In 2024, more versions of popular songs like Sleigh Ride were added to the mix, signaling a broader range of artists contributing to the Christmas classics.

• Sleigh Ride by the Boston Pops Orchestra and Sleigh Ride by Amy Grant saw notable increases in their play counts, suggesting that classic songs continue to be reimagined by different artists, keeping them fresh and relevant each year.

Overall Trends:

1. Sleigh Ride has the highest total count across all years (2116), followed by Winter Wonderland (1541).
   • In 2023, Sleigh Ride saw an increase in percentage (from 6.68% in 2022 to 7.86% in 2023), but it drops to 4.50% in 2024. This shows a slight decline in its dominance after 2023.
   • Winter Wonderland shows a consistent trend with a small drop in both percentage and total count after 2022, reflecting a decrease in overall popularity.
2. Frosty the Snowman shows a decline in its percentage from 2022 to 2024 (5.30% to 3.64%), but it maintains a steady count in the total.
3. Carol of the Bells has a somewhat consistent percentage, but its total count fluctuates slightly, with a drop in 2024 compared to 2023 (499 vs. 502).
4. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer also saw a notable rise in 2023 (5.21%) and a subsequent drop in 2024 (3.40%), showing a potential dip in interest after a peak.
5. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree experiences a significant rise in 2024, going from 2.99% in 2022 to 4.41% in 2024, reflecting an increasing popularity in recent years.
6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas saw a notable increase from 2022 (1.63%) to 2023 (3.16%) and continues to rise in 2024 (3.97%), showing an upward trend in interest.
7. Jingle Bell Rock and Jingle Bells both show a drop in 2024. Jingle Bell Rock decreases from 2.25% in 2022 to 1.88% in 2023, then increases to 3.48% in 2024. However, Jingle Bells saw a consistent decrease from 4.11% in 2022 to 1.20% in 2024, indicating a significant decline in popularity.
8. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! shows an increase in total counts and percentages over time, with a steady rise from 2022 (2.02%) to 2024 (3.07%), signaling its growing popularity.
9. Last Christmas is a more volatile song, with a sharp decrease in 2023 (1.42%) compared to 2022 (2.73%), but it rebounds in 2024 to 3.40%, showing that it might be gaining in popularity again.

Key Observations:

• Songs showing a decline:
  • Sleigh Ride, Winter Wonderland, Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer all show some level of decrease over the years, though Sleigh Ride still remains highly popular in total counts.
• Songs with increasing popularity:
  • Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas are seeing a rise in both percentage and total counts.
• Stable yet underperforming songs:
  • Carol of the Bells and Last Christmas maintain stable percentages with minor fluctuations in total counts.

Conclusion:

• Sleigh Ride continues to be the most popular title overall, but its percentage share has declined, indicating a shift in listener interest.
• There is a noticeable rise in popularity for certain songs like Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, while classic songs such as Winter Wonderland and Jingle Bells seem to be seeing less attention over time.

Look at all of these versions of Sleigh Ride! That’s a lot!

The Most Played Christmas TRACK in Chicago

This year, I noticed more variety of songs. Maybe they read this?!

Overview of Track Popularity Over Time

• Feliz Navidad – Josè Feliciano remains a consistently high-ranking track across all years, holding the top position in 2022 with 218 counts (2.29%), 2023 with 215 counts (2.05%), and 2024 with 245 counts (1.67%). Although the total count increases in 2024, the percentage share decreases slightly, indicating that other tracks have gained in popularity.
• Last Christmas – Wham! is a new entry in 2024, ranking second with 223 counts (1.52%). Notably, it has no presence in the previous years (2022 and 2023), highlighting its rise in popularity in 2024.
• Linus And Lucy – Vince Guaraldi Trio experiences growth in popularity from 2022 (75 counts, 0.79%) to 2024 (222 counts, 1.52%). The track shows a significant increase in both raw counts and its percentage share, suggesting it has become more favored in recent years.

Tracks with Decreasing Popularity

• All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey holds a steady ranking (4th) with 199 counts (2.09%) in 2022, 212 counts (2.02%) in 2023, and 211 counts (1.44%) in 2024. Despite a slight drop in raw counts in 2024, the track retains high popularity, though its percentage share declines, reflecting the increasing number of tracks being played.
• Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – LeAnn Rimes also shows a decrease in percentage over the years, dropping from 2.26% in 2022 (215 counts) to 1.37% in 2024 (201 counts). Similar trends are observed for Jingle Bell Rock – Brenda Lee, which decreases from 1.88% in 2022 (179 counts) to 1.18% in 2024 (172 counts).

Rising Tracks

• Christmas Canon – Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which did not appear in the 2022 and 2023 data, emerges as a notable track in 2024, reaching 171 counts (1.17%). This suggests it has gained traction recently, marking a significant rise in popularity.
• You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Thurl Ravenscroft and Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms also appear in 2024, with the former having 169 counts (1.15%) and the latter 169 counts (1.15%).

Track Stability and New Entries

• Several tracks such as It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams and Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee demonstrate a more stable pattern of popularity. While some track percentages decline, their rankings generally remain consistent across the years.
• Sleigh Ride – Leroy Anderson, which only appears in 2024 with 158 counts (1.08%), and It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas – Johnny Mathis with 152 counts (1.04%) both indicate that newer tracks are slowly entering the holiday music rotation.

Notable Absences in 2024

• Several prominent tracks from 2022 and 2023 such as Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – John Lennon (which was absent in 2024), Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24 – Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas – Kenny G experience a sharp drop in ranking, disappearing from the top 20 in 2024.

Overall Observations

• The total count of tracks is increasing each year, which dilutes the percentage share of older songs.
• Some classic tracks like Feliz Navidad and Last Christmas remain highly popular, though newer songs such as Linus And Lucy and Christmas Canon are gaining ground.
• The entries in 2024 indicate a mix of longstanding favorites and newer tracks taking up space in the top rankings, with some seasonal favorites dropping out of the top 20.

Percentage Analysis

• The percentage share of the tracks generally decreases in 2024 as more tracks are gaining popularity. The overall growth in the number of unique tracks suggests that listeners are diversifying their Christmas playlist, with a larger variety of songs contributing to the overall track count.

Total Playtime

This year, I was able to find the total playtime of tracks on the radio along with the release date, due to the enhancements I made with MusicBrainz. Below I will detail some of the analysis on the data.

Track Length and Airtime

• Track Length: The majority of the tracks tend to fall within the 3-5 minute range.
• Airtime Trends: Despite the varying track lengths, “Last Christmas” by Wham! has the highest total airtime (89,839,118 ms), but it does not correlate directly with the track’s length. This suggests that the frequency of airplay might influence the airtime significantly.

Total Airtime on List vs. Hours

• Airtime on List varies greatly across tracks, with some songs receiving considerably higher airtime (e.g., “Last Christmas” and “All I Want for Christmas Is You”), which may correlate to their popularity or frequency of inclusion in festive playlists or airplay schedules.
• Tracks like “O Tannenbaum” and “Christmas Canon” have relatively lower airtime despite their long history and genre significance. This suggests either a lower frequency of play or a shorter exposure window compared to more popular tracks.

Release Date Trends

• Recent Tracks: A few of the more recent tracks, such as “O Tannenbaum” (2023), “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” (2022), and “Underneath the Tree” (2022) stand out with their release dates, which could indicate the influence of new artists or modern renditions of classic holiday songs gaining momentum on airwaves.
• Historical Tracks: Older songs like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Dean Martin and “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” by Bing Crosby (released in the 1950s and 60s) have remained popular due to their perennial inclusion in seasonal playlists.

Popularity (by Airtime)

• High Airtime Songs: Songs with significant airtime include “Last Christmas – Wham!” and “All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey” reinforcing the idea that these tracks are heavily favored during the holiday season.
• Older Songs with Sustained Popularity: Classics like “White Christmas – The Drifters” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – LeAnn Rimes” continue to have high total airtime. These tracks, despite being older, maintain a cultural relevance year after year, likely driven by nostalgic playlists.

Album Representation and Variety

• Some albums appear multiple times across various tracks, for example, “Merry Christmas” by Mariah Carey is linked with both “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”. This suggests that the album itself is a popular choice during the Christmas season, possibly fueling higher airtime for its tracks.
• Album Range: The albums featured vary greatly in age and genre. Some are modern compilations, such as “Grandmasters Christmas”, while others are compilations from the late 90s and early 2000s. The use of diverse albums points to the broad appeal of various artists across different eras, all contributing to the continuing dominance of Christmas music playlists.

Key Insights and Correlations

• Track Popularity Correlates with Airtime: The higher the airtime, the more likely the song is to have a long-standing cultural presence and be featured in playlists year after year (e.g., “Last Christmas” and “All I Want for Christmas Is You”).
• Track Length does not directly correlate to airtime, as shorter songs with catchy hooks, such as “Jingle Bell Rock”, tend to get frequent airplay, whereas longer or more instrumental tracks like “O Tannenbaum” may receive less playtime despite their historical or artistic significance.

Below you will see some of the highest airtimes on the Lite this year. Imagine listening to the same song for 27 hours straight, I think I would go mad!

Closing Thoughts

This year’s project was as much about technical growth as it was about personal milestones. While I didn’t have as much time as I’d hoped to experiment with new methods, the integration of MusicBrainz and the refinements to my Python script made for a more insightful and streamlined analysis.

As I look to the future, I hope to further refine the algorithm, track more Chicago Christmas music, explore additional data sources, and continue to uncover the hidden patterns behind the music we hear during the holiday season. Thanks for reading, and please leave your comments below!

Matthew J. Fitzgerald

Matthew J Fitzgerald is an experienced DevOps engineer, Company Founder, Author, and Programmer. He Founded Fitzgerald Tech Solutions and several other startups. He enjoys playing in his homelab, gardening, playing the drums, rooting for Chicago and Purdue sports, and hanging out with friends.