Calvin Harris Tops Highest Paid DJ List For 5th Yr Running W/ Insane $48.5M

For the fifth consecutive year, mega-DJ Calvin Harris is the world’s highest paid DJ.

The British DJ, whose pop-electro crossover music has soundtracked commercial radio stations for almost a decade, sits atop the list of Forbes list of highest paid DJs, gaudily named the Electronic Cash Kings list. Over the past financial year, he brought in a whopping $48.5 million dollars ($62 million AUD) in festival fees, private Las Vegas club appearances, and record sales.

Of course, the Calvin Harris of today, who just launched his fifth album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1, is a world away from the days when he was playing mid-afternoon Big Day Out sets. These days you are more likely to find him collaborating with Katy Perry than declaring that he “Created Disco”.

He also looks like this now. Though we’re not complaining.

The biggest newcomers on the list, however, are the self-proclaimed Nickelback of EDM” The Chainsmokers. They made it to number 3 on the list, earning a whopping $38 million ($48.2 million AUD) in the past financial year. Which is great for the New York electronic duo, and a bummer for anyone with taste.

The list is an unfortunate mirror of how little diversity is in the mainstream EDM scene: the whole top ten list is made of male Americans and Europeans. That said, there’s a tonne of diversity in age. Between the oldest entrant on the top ten list, 49-year-old David Guetta, and the youngest, 21-year old Martin Garrix, is a whopping 28 years.

Otherwise, the other big standout on the list is Skrillex, at number 4 with $30 million ($38 million AUD). Because it’s still 2010 and dubstep is still alive somewhere, right?

Here’s the full Electronic Cash Kings list (all amounts in US dollars):

  1. Calvin Harris (48.5 million)
  2. Tiesto ($39 million)
  3. The Chainsmokers ($38 million)
  4. Skrillex ($30 million)
  5. Steve Aoki ($29.5 million)
  6. Diplo ($28.5 million)
  7. David Guetta ($25 million)
  8. Marshmello ($21 million)
  9. Martin Garrix ($19.5 million)
  10. Zedd ($19 million US)

Almost makes you want to give up work and stay at home playing with Ableton. Almost.

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