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 10th 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