Forbes has taken it upon themselves to list the highest paid DJs. We all know that DJs make a lot of money, but how much, exactly, do these superstars pull in over a 12 month period? Well, a lot. Here’s what the biggest names in electronic music reeled in over the past year:
1. Calvin Harris – $46 million
2. Tiësto – $32 million
3. David Guetta – $30 million
4. Swedish House Mafia – $25 million
5. Deadmau5 – $21 million
6. Avicii – $20 million
7. Afrojack – $18 million
8. Armin van Buuren – $17 million
9. Skrillex – $16 million (tie)
9. Kaskade – $16 million (tie)
11. Steve Aoki – $14 million
12. DJ Pauly D – $13 million (tie)
12. Diplo – $13 million (tie) 
Forbes also explained their methodology:
Our estimates include earnings from live shows, endorsements, merchandise sales, recorded music sales, external business ventures and, in the case of DJ Pauly D, television (we included him on this list because, like his fellow Electronic Cash Kings, he makes at least half his cash from DJ gigs). Sources include Songkick, Pollstar, RIAA, promoters, managers, lawyers and some of the artists themselves.
via Forbes
it makes me sad pauly D is in this list lol.
$14 million for throwing cakes at people, that’s impressive..
I thought Diplo would have been on the top. what?
This list isn’t very accurate, there are DJ’s out there that do not release the amount of money they make. For instance if you do the math, Bassnectar plays probably 120 shows a year, the guy tours non-stop. (Reference article with Diplo where he showed amazement at how much nectar tours “he’s one of the only hard ticket selling DJ’s left” “The guy has been on tour for 4 years”) He rakes in an average of almost 180,000 a show multiplied by 120 and you get $21.6 million of ticket sales alone. Just happens that he gives a good amount to charity and he keeps his net worth private. Go ahead and google search is net worth, it can’t be found.
Umm where’s Oakenfold? He is one of the most successful Djs…
What about Daft Punk?
wrong wrong wrong wrong…
WHY OH WHYYYY IS PAULY D TIED WITH D I P L O! wait… why is Pauly even ON this list?
Tiesto has been around over a decade before Calvin Harris… something isn’t right.
Creativity gives way to crap.