For the sixth consecutive year, Scottish DJ, producer, remixer and fashion model Calvin Harris has came in at number one on the Forbes list of highest paid DJs. The DJ’s residency at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas reportedly earns him a massive $1 million per show and has contributed nicely to his annual income of $48 million.
American duo The Chainsmokers knock Tiesto out of the number two spot to come in behind Harris, with them earning over $45 million. David Guetta, Zedd, Afrojack, Martin Garrix and Kaskade are also within the top 15 list of DJs earning over $10 million. Here’s the full list:
01. Calvin Harris – $48 Million
02. The Chainsmokers – $45.5 Million
03. Tiësto – $33 Million
04. Steve Aoki – $28 Million
05. Marshmello – $23 Million
06. Zedd – $22 Million
07. Diplo – $20 Million
08. David Guetta – $15 Million
09. Kaskade – $13.5 Million
10. Martin Garrix – $13 Million
11. Axwell Λ Ingrosso – $12 Million
12. Kygo – $11.5 Million
13. DJ Snake – $11 Million
14. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike – $10.5 Million
15. Afrojack – $10 million
If you took a quick glance down the list, you’ll be put back by the staggering amounts that some DJs can earn in the current state of the music industry, and there’s also several flaws. All names on the list share a few common traits, they’re all highly relevant in America, they all work within the ‘EDM’ landscape and they are all male. For anyone also interested in knowing how much cash the top 15 disc jockeys pulled in as a whole, it’s $316 million.
Of course there are a ton of things to consider before verbally expelling them on social media, things like taxes, the costs of producing a tour, and manager and booking agent fees likely remove a large portion of a DJs income.
You can check out the Forbes’ article here.