EDM Titans: Dance Music's 10 Highest Paid DJs

Tiesto

According to Pollstar, Tiesto is currently the world's highest paid DJ. With earnings calculated at $22 million, he is reported to gross an average of $250,000 per night. Speaking to Forbes, Tiesto explained why he thinks electronic dance music has such a strong presence on mainstream radio: “I think what really changed was social media,”  he said. “Twitter, Facebook really helped a lot. It exposed things to a whole new world. Before that you only could hear [electronic dance music] on the radio at night. Daytime radio would never play it.”

Skrillex

California native Skrillex is No. 2 on the list with estimated earnings of $15 million. He recently told Forbes about his start in electronic music: “I’ve been listening to electronic music since I was 12,” he said. “Even when I played in rock bands, I’ve been making it … This is the first time it’s gotten so big.”

Swedish House Mafia

Although the trio Swedish House Mafia recently separated, members Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso reportedly raked in $14 million, placing them third on the list of highest paid DJs. In a statement to fans on their website, SHM announced their final tour by saying, "We came, we raved, we loved."

David Guetta

French DJ and producer David Guetta is ranked fourth with estimated earnings of $13.5 million. Thanks to some high-powered collaborations, Guetta has gained massive popularity on pop radio, scoring a slew of hits including "Without You" with Usher, "Memories" with Kid Cudi and Black Eyed Peas' Grammy-winning "I Gotta Feeling."

Steve Aoki

Steve Aoki, No. 5 on the list, makes less per show than his fellow EDM DJs. He did, however, earn $12 million in the last year by logging more than 200 different gigs.

Deadmau5

Mouse-eared Toronto native Deadmau5, whose real name is Joel Zimmerman, comes in at No. 6 on the list with $11.5 million. His debut album, Get Scraped, was released in 2005. Seven years later, he landed the coveted cover of Rolling Stone. 

DJ Pauly D

Achieving fame via his starring role on MTV's Jersey Shore, DJ Pauly D is reported to make $11 million, approximately half of his income, through DJing. His song of summer? Rihanna's "Where Have You Been," he told THR at the 2012 Teen Choice Awards. "Anything by Rihanna right now is hot. It gets the crowd goin'."

Kaskade

Among the genre's first arena fillers, Kaskade first appeared on the EDM scene back in 2001. A decade later, DJ Times crowned him "America's Best DJ." Not one to rest on his laurels, in the last year, Kaskade performed 125 shows and is said to have earned $10 million.  

Afrojack

Ninth on Forbes' list is Dutch DJ Afrojack, who commented on the future of electronic music,“Dance music is pretty close to where rock was 50 years ago. And rock has never died. So I’m sure the same [goes for] dance music.” Also holding the title of Paris Hilton's latest beau and collaborator, Afrojack earned some $9 million last year.

Avicii

Grammy nominated Avicii comes tenth on Forbes' list with estimated earnings of $7 million. The Swedish DJ, who recently inked a deal with Ralph Lauren as the face of its Denim & Supply fall line, was a top-billed performer at Lollapalooza 2012.