Mariah Carey set to take over TikTok and Apple Music with festive livestream
Here’s how the Queen of Christmas is using livestreaming to spark fan engagement over the holiday season, and what independent artists can learn.
A partnership to spread the festive feeling
Mariah Carey is ringing in the holidays with a global livestream that’s set to pull music fans into the festive spirit. TikTok, Apple Music, and gamma. are joining forces to present the final show of her ‘Here For It All Holiday Special’.
The special, Christmastime performance will be livestreamed in real time from the Dolby Live at Park MGM, Las Vegas. It will be broadcast live on December 13 at 8pm PT/11pm ET (4am GMT on December 14).
It follows the release of Carey’s latest album ‘Here For It All’ released with gamma. During the performance, expect to hear select tracks from her latest album alongside the holiday classics that have come to define the festive period.
How to watch Mariah Carey’s livestream
Fans of Mariah Carey can tune in to the performance as it takes place on TikTok LIVE and Apple Music in HD. After the livestream, Apple Music subscribers will be able to watch the performance on-demand.
So if you’re a TikTok user or an Apple Music subscriber, there’s no excuse not to join the festive fun.
You can register for the LIVE Event on TikTok here.
Another part of Mariah’s annual festivities
This year’s livestream reinforces Mariah’s status as the undisputed Queen of Christmas. Back in October, she announced the return of her holiday pop-up bars to spread the festive spirit across New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Miami.
She has undoubtedly become synonymous with the Christmas season, and “All I Want For Christmas Is You” remains the unofficial anthem of December. In fact, TikTok videos featuring the track have now racked up over 130 billion views combined. In 2024, it became the first Christmas song to surpass 2 billion streams on Spotify. Plus, it racked up 24.8 million streams on December 24 alone in 2024, making it the third most-streamed track in a single day in Spotify history.
Why this matters for the industry
While Mariah Carey is operating at a level that most artists can only dream of, the strategy behind the livestream is what independent musicians should be paying attention to. The holiday season opens many doors to connect with your fans, and livestreaming is one of the easiest ways to do so.
Whether it’s a daily stream in the run up to Christmas, or a weekly schedule, jump on live and share some festive energy. You could play an acoustic set, cover some Christmas classics, or simply hang out with your fans. Whatever you decide, those intimate moments can help build and strengthen the connection with your fanbase.
If Mariah Carey is going live to meet fans wherever they are around the world, it might be worth considering how you can do the same for you and your fans.
Distribute your music to Apple Music, or get your tunes onto TikTok for use in videos for free with RouteNote today!