The World's Top-Earning DJs
Are we in the midst of a dance-music bubble? Perhaps, but the only thing popping is these DJs' earnings. The top 10 racked up $268 million this year, up 11 percent from a year ago


1. CALVIN HARRIS: $66 MILLIONFormer grocery store stocker found love in the pop world, producing for Rihanna and Kesha gigs earn him six figures per night.
2. DAVID GUETTA: $30 MILLIONDespite high demand in Vegas, this one-time Parisian club manager flies in weekly to spin in Ibiza.
3. AVICII: $28 MILLION (TIE)This 24-year-old Swede’s hit single ‘Wake Me Up’ became the first electronic song to move more than 4 million units in the US.
3. TIESTO: $28 MILLION (TIE)The Dutch DJ played over 100 shows in the past year, and in the last 24 months, only Harris has earned more.5. STEVE AOKI: $23 MILLIONBenihana founder’s son has a volume business: His 277 shows in the past year are almost double the total of anyone on our list.6. AFROJACK: $22 MILLIONReleased long-anticipated first studio album, Forget the World, in May, but playing nearly 150 shows accounted for the bulk of his bucks.
7. ZEDD: $21 MILLIONThe 24-year-old protégé of Skrillex is now outearning his mentor, thanks to producing hits for Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.
8. KASKADE: $17 MILLIONThe clean-cut father of three played more than 120 dates last year, including some 30 shows in Las Vegas.
9. SKRILLEX: $16.5 MILLIONReleased new album, Recess, but doesn’t need record sales to padcoffers: He earns big from live shows and from his own label.10. DEADMAU5: $16 MILLIONPlayed one-tenth the number of shows of some of the higher-ranked names on this list, but they were lucrative ones.
First Published: Sep 06, 2014, 06:18
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