Forbes Highest Paid DJs 2015

Forbes rounds out the year with another ranked list of the the top-earning celebrities around the globe. EDM continues to see money pouring in. In 2015 alone, the top 10 DJs raked in a total of $274 million USD; however, the pace is slowing down. The 108% increase from 2012-2013 (in conjunction with a surge in EDM popularity) has lessened to a mere 2.5% increase from 2014-2015. It’s no surprise that the top 12 highest-paid DJs and producers of the year only consist of already-established names, but it’s interesting to note the absence of female artists. Calvin Harris tops the list by quite a reach – “The rise of dance music has been astronomical … I happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Harris told Forbes. On top of pocketing $66 million USD the Scottish DJ and producer also became the world’s highest-paid couple. And at the age of 46, Tiësto is the oldest member on the list and continues to remain in the top three.

The world’s highest-paid DJs of 2015 (in USD):

1. Calvin Harris (Scotland) – $66 million
2. David Guetta (France) – $37 million
3. Tiësto (Netherlands) – $36 million
4 & 5. Skrillex & Steve Aoki (U.S.A.) — $24 million
6. Avicii (Sweden) — $19 million
7. Kaskade (U.S.A.) — $18 million
8 & 9. Martin Garrix (Netherlands) & Zedd (Russia/Germany) – $17 million
10. Afrojack (Netherlands) — $16 million
11 & 12. Deadmau5 (Canada) & Diplo – $15 million