Calvin Harris Dominates List of World's Richest DJs With Insane Annual Earnings
Harris, 29, played more than 100 shows and pocketed nightly performances fees exceeding $200,000 — collecting more than music moguls Jay-Z and Katy Perry amassed in a 12-month period.
The former grocery store stock boy doubles as a songwriter and record producer, and made millions from his collaborations with Florence Welch, Ellie Goulding and Rihanna.
"The rise of dance music has been astronomical in the last three years," Harris told Forbes. "I happened to be in the right place at the right time."
The list includes stars of EDM both old and young — David Guetta, 45, and Avicii, 23 — and represented Canada, France, the Netherlands, Scottland, Sweden, and the U.S.
New to the list is Diplo, who spun his way to $13 million in 2013 and tied with DJ Pauly D for 12th place. The DJ-producer had a strong tour this year, and mixed tracks for Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, and Snoop Lion, formerly Snoop Dog.
Here's the full list of the World's Highest Paid DJs:
1. Calvin Harris — $46 million
2. Tiësto — $32 million
3. David Guetta — $30 million
4. Swedish House Mafia — $25 million
5. Deadmau5 — $21 million
6. Avicii — $20 million
7. Afrojack — $18 million
8. Armin van Buuren — $17 million
9. Skrillex — $16 million / Kaskade — $16 million
10. Steve Aoki — $14 million
11. DJ Pauly D — $13 million / Diplo — $13 million