Writing Niche Songs

As a singer/songwriter, are niche songs (e.g., Christmas) a good idea or a bad idea?

On the one hand, if your song resonates on a particularly strong chord with the listening public, it may become timeless like Bing Crosby’s recording of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”. That song has the distinction of being the best selling record of all time.

On the other hand, if the tune doesn’t become a beloved annual carol, then you have a very limited shelf life and selling window for your song. You may only have about 4 months over two years to enjoy sales of your song (e.g., the November and December the first and second year after you release your Christmas carol).

Why am I writing about Christmas carols in February? Because February is a good time for musicians to start thinking about a Christmas album. You may want to evaluate whether or not niche songwriting is a good use of your time, before you dive in.