The highest paid DJs in the world have earned their fortunes by performing outstanding DJ sets at some of the most respected clubs and festivals in the world.
Additional income from record sales, remixes, and other collaborations have further increased their fortunes, making them among the richest stars in the music industry.
Continue reading for a complete breakdown of the ten wealthiest DJs in the world and the hit tracks and sell-out tours that have made them incredibly rich.
The 10 Highest Paid DJs In The World
A successful DJ can make vast sums of money both through their annual income as a DJ and sales of records and other merchandise.
We’ve covered the major international tours, residencies, singles, and albums that helped the highest paid DJs achieve their impressive net worth.
Without further ado, here’s our complete guide to the 10 highest paid DJs in the world:
10. Skrillex – $70 million
Los Angeles-based DJ and music producer Sonny John Moore, known professionally as Skrillex, began his career in music as the lead singer of the band From First to Last.
In 2009, he took his career in new directions, producing and DJing EDM music in L.A. and releasing the My Name Is Skrillex EP on his MySpace page.
Over the following years, Skrillex perfected his live DJ sets and became renowned as one of the brightest stars in the EDM scene, performing his sets worldwide.
Skrillex takes basic techniques such as beatmatching and layers a range of DJ effects to craft mixes that take the audience on an intricate journey.
He has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Kaskade, Diplo, and Missy Elliot, making him one of the most bankable DJs of his generation.
The American DJ has picked up eight Grammy Awards, in addition to two MTV Video Music Awards that have helped push his annual income to around $20 million.
9. The Chainsmokers – $80 million
The Chainsmokers are an American DJ duo made up of Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart, who first broke into the mainstream EDM scene with their 2014 single, #Selfie.
Both Pall and Taggart began producing electronic music from a young age, with Taggart in particular influenced by the iconic electronic music group Daft Punk as a teenager.
Over the following years, they’ve hit the top 10 on the Billboard Top 100 charts and picked up an impressive seven Billboard Music Awards and two American Music Awards.
Once ranked as the world’s highest paid DJs, they can still command eye-watering fees for their DJ sets, with an estimated $46 million in income per year contributing to their net worth.
Much of this enormous annual income is through headlining world-class electronic music festivals such as Ultra Music Festival, earning a six-figure sum for a single DJ set.
In addition to their various music awards, The Chainsmokers have helped push the electronic music industry in new directions, merging electro-house and pop music with great results.
8. Thomas Bangalter – $90 million
French DJ and record producer Thomas Bangalter has achieved a lasting legacy in the world of electronic music, as one-half of Daft Punk and with acts Stardust and Together.
As a member of Daft Punk, Bangalter has put on live events featuring some of the best DJ visuals ever seen, with the duo renowned for performing in robot personas.
The release of the album Homework in 1997, featuring hit pop music singles Around the World and Da Funk, catapulted Daft Punk into the mainstream consciousness.
The duo picked up no less than five Grammy Awards, including Best Dance Recording, and two Billboard Music Awards, shaping electro-house music for a new generation.
In addition to his work with Daft Punk, Bangalter has worked as a film score composer, including the controversial Gaspar Noe film, Irreversible.
With his ongoing solo projects and occasional DJ sets following the disbandment of Daft Punk in 2021, his earnings and net worth will continue to grow.
7. Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo – $90 million
The other half of the duo Daft Punk is Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, who has also enjoyed a prolific career as a DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter.
Along with Thomas Bangalter, he’s regarded as one of the best house music DJs of all time, helping to define the genre since the 1990s.
With a net worth of $90 million, Homen-Christo has performed with Bangalter at some of the most prestigious nightclubs in Paris and around the world.
Royalties from record sales of their singles and albums released through major labels such as Virgin and Warner Music have also contributed to the growth of their net worth.
Outside of Daft Punk, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo has run his own record label, Crydamoure, through which artists, including Sebastian Tellier, have released dance music.
6. Swedish House Mafia – $100 million
The house music group Swedish House Mafia, who officially formed in 2008, joined the ranks of the highest paid DJs in the world by touring alongside many other DJs featured on this list.
Comprised of members Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso, the Swedish House Mafia are also prolific producers with a lengthy discography of charted songs.
Their live shows and international tours at festivals, including Ulta Miami, Tomorrowland, and Creamfields, have earned the trio huge fees and a net worth of $100 million.
If you’re looking into how to DJ house music, you can get plenty of insight and inspiration by studying videos of Swedish House Mafia’s live shows.
Their vibrant light shows and impressive live visuals have been highly acclaimed by music industry journalists, including DJ Mag and Mixmag.
The members also release solo music, emphasizing the kind of cutting-edge progressive house music you get when signing up for the best DJ pools online.
5. Steve Aoki – $120 million
Steve Aoki is an American DJ, and record producer who was once the highest paid DJ in the world, ranked at the top spot by Pollstar in 2012.
With a net worth of $120 million, Steve Aoki remains one of the hottest DJs working today, taking home an estimated annual income of between $30 and $40 million.
Beginning his career in the music industry in the 1990s, he helped shape the electro-house scene in California, DJing and producing music and remixes.
The list of artists who have collaborated with Steve Aoki reads like a who’s who of the music industry, including DJs such as Afrojack and Diplo and megastars Kanye West and Eminem.
Aoki’s consummate professionalism is evident in his mastery of a broad range of DJ tips and tricks and his effortless ability to gauge the audience.
As well as headlining many significant events, Steve Aoki has increased his net worth through guest appearances in video games, television shows, and music videos for other artists.
4. David Guetta – $150 million
French DJ and music producer David Guetta has been active in the music industry for the last few decades, beginning his career in the mid-1980s.
Throughout his career, his prolific output has seen sales of over 10 million albums and 65 million singles, as well as over 10 billion streams online.
The large revenue stream generated by these sales has been amply supplemented through his DJ activities, with Guetta headlining events such as Tomorrowland and his sell-out Listen Tour in 2014-15.
Guetta’s skillset encompasses all the DJ techniques you need to master if you want to mix like a professional and maximize the potential of your DJ controller and mixer.
This allows David Guetta to draw an annual income of at least $18 million, with some estimates placing this as high as $40 million, significantly contributing to his net worth growth.
As one of the most experienced DJs in the world, David Guetta is a fan favorite who has been voted the number one DJ in the world in DJ Mag’s 2011 poll.
3. DJ Tiësto – $170 million
Dutch DJ and music producer DJ Tiësto is another of the highest paid DJs in the world, with several decades of experience working in the music industry.
His career began a decade after David Guetta with the release of his early hardcore and gabber tracks using aliases such as Da Joker and DJ Limited.
By the early 2000s, Tësto released progressive house tracks while touring with stars, including David Bowie and Busta Rhymes.
In 2004, he was appointed Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and was regarded as a Dutch icon.
DJ Tiësto has performed DJ sets worldwide, becoming the first DJ to perform at the Olympic Games in 2004 and given the key to Las Vegas in 2017.
Whether using easy DJ transitions or working the EQ and effects on his mixer to full effect, DJ Tiësto is known for playing electronic dance mixes that get the crowd pumping.
These skills earn DJ Tiësto an estimated $250,000 for a single evening’s work, with his annual income thought to be around $24 million.
2. Gianluca Vacchi – $200 million
While many of the highest paid DJs in the world have achieved their fortune exclusively through their involvement in the music industry, Gianluca Vacchi’s wealth is more diverse.
A businessman and entrepreneur from Italy, Vacchi and his cousin earned much of their fortune through the multinational Italian business Industria Macchine Automatiche S.p.A. (IMA).
This wealth gave him a taste for the playboy lifestyle, the freedom to pursue his interest in DJing, and the connections to make a splash.
He promoted his DJ skills through his popular social media accounts, including his official Instagram account, and has gone on to perform alongside several big-name DJs.
These include Steve Aoki, Nicola Zucchi, and Christian Lena, with his profile as a dance music DJ and producer enhanced through a record deal with Spinnin’ Records.
While much of his wealth has come through his business ventures, he can still comment large sums of money for his DJing guest appearances because of his immense popularity online.
1. Calvin Harris – $300 million
Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris has been featured on the list of the highest paid DJs for several years, consistently releasing hit tracks and sell-out tours in recent years.
As a producer, he’s earned a fortune with songs including I’m Not Alone and We Found Love featuring Rihanna, and has worked with Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams, among others.
Calvin Harris has also developed a strong reputation on stage by performing some of the best DJ sets of all time, selling out venues, and dominating the main stage at festivals.
This exceptional success has secured Calvin Harris as the highest paid DJ currently working, with the talented disc jockey earning $46 million between 2012 and 2013
Harris continued to set records for his DJing income over the following years, boosting his net worth with an annual income that consistently smashed the $40 million barrier.
Additional revenue comes from various sources, including his record label Fly Eye Records, as co-owner of the Tidal streaming service, and residencies in Las Vegas.
Summary
That wraps up this complete guide to the highest paid DJs in the world, exploring their rise to fame and the iconic live performances that helped them succeed.
These DJs have helped shape the electronic music landscape for decades and continue taking up huge annual salaries for their music production and DJing efforts.
As their careers continue to evolve, there’s no doubt their annual income and overall net worth will continue to grow into the future.
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