World’s 12 highest-paid DJs in 2014

Calvin Harris is once again EDM’s Cash King, pulling in $66 million over the past 12 months. The top 10 earners on our list racked up a staggering $268 million this year (2014), 11% more than the $241 million haul of last year’s (2013) top 10. Read on to see the full list.

1. 1: CALVIN HARRIS – $66 MILLION

Born Adam Richard Wiles, the former grocery store stocker earned $66 million in our scoring period, play­ing more than 125 gigs. He’s found great success in the pop world, working with the likes of Rihanna and Kesha, which has helped him land headline gigs not only at EDM-focused events but also at festivals like Coachella. Harris continues to play regularly in Las Vegas where he has a multi-year deal at America’s biggest nightclub, Hakkasan.

1. 2: DAVID GUETTA – $30 MILLION

The former Parisian club manager commands some of the top fees in Las Vegas but stays true to his European roots, maintaining his weekly F**k Me I’m Famous residency in Ibiza. In the past 12 months, he’s spent time on tour with Rihanna and has penned songs for Britney Spears and Lady Gaga on their latest albums. In March, he divorced Cathy Guetta, his wife of 22 years and long-time business partner.

1. 3 (TIE): AVICII – $28 MILLION

Just 24 years old, the Swedish DJ notched the best year of his career on the strength of his debut album, ‘True’. The record included ‘Wake Me Up’, which became the first electronic song ever to move more than 4 million units in the United States. He continues to clean up on the road, taking home six-figure sums every time he spins at a club, which he did 80 times during our scoring period alone.

1. 3 (TIE): TIESTO – $28 MILLION

In recent years, the veteran Dutch DJ has shifted his focus from Ibiza to Las Vegas, where he now has a massively lucrative residency with megaclub, Hakkasan. Playing over 100 shows yet another year in a row, Tiesto has pulled in $60 million over the past 24 months, a total topped only by Calvin Harris.

1. 5: STEVE AOKI – $23 MILLION

For the first time, Aoki cracks the top five after playing 277 shows in our scoring period. He sometimes plays three shows in a day, and his schedule had almost double the amount of shows of anyone on our list (Aoki tells Forbes he’s mastered the art of the power nap, sleeping in two or three hour bursts while traveling between gigs). He’s also boosted by endorsements with Bud Light, Guitar Center and Scion, and holds a minority stake in headphone com­pany, Sol Republic.

1. 6: AFROJACK – $22 MILLION

Nick van de Wall, better known as Afrojack, released his long-anticipated first studio album, ‘Forget The World’ in May. After telling Forbes he turned down higher offers in Las Vegas to stay at the Wynn, he quickly bolted for a residency at Hakkasan. Afrojack played nearly 150 shows in our scoring period; earnings include endorsements from Nike and G-Star RAW, where he has his own clothing collection.

1. 7: ZEDD – $21 MILLION

The 24-year-old protégé of Skrillex is now out-earning his mentor, thanks to a nightly DJ fee that has soared from $20,000 last year into the low six figures. His production for pop stars like Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, as well as his own album, ‘Clarity’, which spawned a platinum single of the same name, have fueled Zedd’s rise.

1. 8: KASKADE – $17 MILLION

Born Ryan Raddon, the DJ’s 10^th album, ‘Atmosphere’, earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Elec­tronica Album. The father of three played more than 120 dates during our scoring period, including about 30 shows in Las Vegas. Outspoken on Twitter, he’s taken to the microblogging service to bash his former record label and critics of EDM culture.

6. 9: SKRILLEX – $16.5 MILLION

In March, the six-time Grammy winner released his lat­est album, ‘Recess’, to opening week sales of 48,000. The LP has a long way to go to catch his 2010 smash, ‘Scary Monsters’ and ‘Nice Sprites’, but he doesn’t need record sales to pad his coffers: Skrillex earns big from live shows, scoring films like ‘Wreck-It Ralph’, and from his OWSLA label.

1. 10: DEADMAU5 – $16 MILLION

The mouse-head costume-wearing DJ barely played one-tenth the amount of shows that some of the higher-ranked names on this list did, but he made them count, playing mostly lucrative festival gigs that can earn him in the neighborhood of half a million dollars for a night’s work. A booming merch business also pads his bottom line.

1. 11: HARDWELL – $13 MILLION

Voted the No. 1 electronic dance music artist in the world by fans in the annual DJ Magazine Top 100 poll, Hardwell debuts on Forbes’ list of top earners. His debut album expected to come out in the New Year. Like fellow Dutch DJs Tiesto and Armin van Buuren, Hardwell oper­ates his own record label, Revealed Recordings, which he founded in 2010. His ‘I Am Hardwell’ tour comes to the U.S. in the fall and will conclude with a November show at Madison Square Garden.

1. 12 (TIE): ARMIN VAN BUUREN -$12 MILLION

The Dutch DJ spent a great deal of the last year (2013) playing dates in support of his album, ‘Intense’, released in May 2013. His tour included dates in 21 cities and featured six-hour performances from the 37-year-old trance king. He co-founded dance label, Armada Music in 2003, and still helps run the business; last year, he was nominated for a Grammy for best dance recording for ‘This Is What It Feels Like’.

1. 12 (TIE): STEVE ANGELLO – $12 MILLION

Swedish House Mafia pulled in $25 million last year (2013) in its swan song as a group, and now its members are earning even more: Steve Angello alone pulled in $12 million. By himself, he still commands six-figure fees for club gigs; he’ll release a new solo album this fall. Will there be a reunion? “Uh, no,” he says.
-Culled from Forbes

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