The Thirty Richest DJs In The World

It’s hard out there for a pimp. But, if you’re a superstar DJ, it’s a different story.

Celebrity Net Worth has put together a ranking of the world’s richest DJs and it’s familiar names at the top:

The Top 30 Richest DJs In The World

  • 30: Afrojack Net Worth – $2 million
  • 29: Markus Schulz Net Worth – $2 million
  • 28: Skrillex Net Worth – $2.5 million
  • 27: Kaskade Net Worth – $3 million
  • 26: Martin Solveig Net Worth – $3 million
  • 25: Eric Prydz Net Worth – $4 million
  • 24: Swedish House Mafia Net Worth – $4 million each
  • 23: Gareth Emery Net Worth – $5 million
  • 22: Avicii Net Worth – $6 million
  • 21: Darude Net Worth – $8 million
  • 20: Andre Tanneberger – $8 million
  • 19: Calvin Harris Net Worth – $10 million
  • 18: Deadmau5 Net Worth – $12 million
  • 17: Benny Benassi Net Worth – $14 million
  • 16: Carl Cox Net Worth – $15 million
  • 15: The Chemical Brothers Net Worth – $15 million
  • 14: Ferry Corsten Net Worth – $18 million
  • 13: Steve Aoki Net Worth – $20 million
  • 12: Fatboy Slim Net Worth – $22 million
  • 11: David Guetta Net Worth – $25 million
  • 10: Moby Net Worth $28 million
  • 9: Daft Punk Net Worth – $30 million each
  • 8: Pete Tong Net Worth – $30 million
  • 7: Judge Jules Net Worth – $40 million
  • 6: Sasha (DJ) Net Worth – $40 million
  • 5: Armin Van Buuren Net Worth – $40 million
  • 4: John Digweed Net Worth – $45 million
  • 3: Paul van Dyk Net Worth – $50 million
  • 2: Paul Oakenfold Net Worth – $55 million
  • 1: DJ Tiesto Net Worth – $65 million

What’s wrong with this list, though?

via Brian Warner

Image: nestland

89 thoughts on “The Thirty Richest DJs In The World”

    1. its entertainment folks… and all about hoe it makes you feel. as does rock. and hop. I mean, jazz and classical musicians have been ripping these genres a new a-hole for decades. lets not be hypocritical people. I love true chicago house, dont get me wrong…. but entertainment, is entertainment. Wine is for the masses, the expensive wine is for aficionados…. dont expect the masses to be aficionados. They just want to get rocked. Make no mistake. when you go to a big festival, in the dance tent, the dJs change but the crowd hardly knows the difference, even when it goes from Derrick Carter to Steve Aoki. they just WANT TO GET ROCKED. and what about football and other sport stars? get real people. entertainment……. the more people like something, the more that thing will make money… and the truth is, the people like to DANCE

    3. and Id LOVE to see a jukebox loaded daily with new tunes that were made the day before. HAR HAR. alot of dJs make records. they cant get noticed unless they do these days.. though I have to say the last few years the creative level of the commercial vs underground side has seriously taken a huge inspiration hit. though artists like skrillex and zedd have been doing nu things..

    4. Completely agree with you. His net worth is much much more. I bet your car you can’t book him for less then 100k a show. Guaranteed. That’s if you can even book him as his tour dates are typically filled a year in advance…

  2. What’s wrong? Easy…

    These individuals became what we ran away from when we initially embraced Dance music all those years ago…the posturing, self-important, and messianic stadium rockers that attract flocks of brainless sheep.

    Stadiums have shit acoustics, clubs rarely do.
    Keep on adding to the equation…you’ll get there in the end!

    These are just two points of many that show what’s wrong with this list. I’ll let other people elaborate though.

    1. That’s why there is the underground for folks who are not into this genre and everything that it embraces. Typically, as your probably know, underground crowds are older (30+), have a mature ear, and are there to dance and not just jump up and down on a couch (VIP) or dance floor. I have dj’d both styles of parties for years and personally have had fun in both capacities. The nice thing is that there are choices for everybody. I agree with your comment about bad caustics in many stadiums, but most proper clubs have 200k+ sound systems and that is not a typical issue-well at least in the major metro cities. The reality is now that everything runs a cycle and has a life span. Right now all the major pop and hip hop artists are collaborating with many of the dj’s on this list (i.e. Madonna and Avicii, Rihanna & Calvin Harris, Usher & David Guetta- the list is a mile long) so until this popular “sound” runs it’s course it’s what the commercial masses here in the U.S. will be hearing on the radio, in clubs, etc..

    1. The same reason actors are categorized by net worth, or musicians, or artists, or novelists. Why do people watch reality TV, buy Star magazine & People Magazine, and log onto TMZ, E Entertainment, or Extra. People live in a fantasy world for those of you who aren’t living that type of life style…

    1. most djs cannot produce, they hire producers to produce for them as say they did it, thats what tiesto does

        1. Hilarious. Actors aren’t better? So those artists who spend their life on their craft aren’t worth what they command? Then I would recommend to not watch any more tv or go to the movies as you are supporting their paycheck.
          So does that mean athletes aren’t better either? How about the fact the average football player has a shorter lifespan then most humans. Is that not worth something? If your going to bash then support it..

        2. That’s what tiesto does?? Think again & think of all the up and coming DJ’S that he has nurtured?? Hardwell for example. The man cannot be around for 22 years & get away with that no way.

  7. These jukeboxes are worth a lot of money! I’m sorry I have no respect for people that play other peoples music. But I do agree with Daft Punk, 30 million sounds good.

        1. Hilarious. Obviously if you are on this board your into electronic music or we would assume that. Whether you care about Kaskade or not has nothing to do with it. As the user below your comment mentions he does co write all his music and his club dates and current US Tour sells out tickets in a matter of minutes. So you may not care about his music which is rightfully so, but do not discredit him either as he’s a international BRAND now not just a DJ or Producer.

    2. Yes i agree with you, but if you see well, many djs are also producers, so, they not only mix, but also create new soounds for everybody to listen and enjoy

  10. Come on, and look at tiestos smile in that photo, it’s like he is sarcasticly saying ” hey I’m cheating you and you love it!” 65 million? For what? Everyone knows he mimes his dj sets

    1. If you MIME your sets as a DJ, you are a double charlatan and should be stuffed with summer sausages, from both ends. Now THAT would be an interesting thing to sample.

      1. google about tiesto miming, armin var burrito does it too, takes him 6 months to do his mix cd, do you really think he can do it live? lol

  11. All that’s “wrong” with the list is simply that its pointless. I have heard some dance music that rocked, no question, but its mostly ONLY to dance to and not a style you can more fully digest over time. To my ear, it has no staying power or repeat pleasure to offer. I don’t want to seem too hypocritical, as I love Orbital, for instance, but dance’s popularity is based on partying and simplicity. If it was complex, “the kids” would not pour those bucks into it. They’re too busy texting to focus on a 20-minute piece of multi-instrumental music whose time signature actually CHANGES here and there, heh…. So while I am all for musical diversity and like portions of almost everything, it doesn’t seem very meaningful to deify DJs according to income. Yeesh, how wude.:P

    1. Yeah but this is a problem with popular music in general, it lacks staying power because its such a shallow form of music. There is good electronic music that really works the mind but its not popularnbecausenits less accessible.

    2. I agreed until it turned into a “kids and their attention spans these days” rant. Kids (and the population generally) have been buying and listening to disposable rubbish since the invention of sound recording.

      1. People in general now have no attention span. We want things done fast and now. A lot of us in the US are focused on go go go just like corporate America. Correct. Since 2007 as dance music has become popular in the states again it will run it’s course and cycle through and “sounds” again will progress and change as they always do- That’s the beauty of it.

  12. They have also invested in businesses which is risky but can lead to even more wealth. You have to be a grade A idiot to believe all their money comes from just mixing and producing the occasional album. These guys are brands.

  13. whats wrong is that at 30 mil each for daft punk,that should make them no.2 with 60 mil.they didnt split the chemical brothers total

    3. What do you mean by they suck? Their productions? Dj skills? Curious to what your definition actually means here? What would your top 5 list compile of and why?

  15. we may not want to admit it but Pauly D should be on this list since he’s a resident DJ and signed with 50 Cent. He’s worth a net 3.5 Million or more

    2. Congratulations, someone finally soiled the hallowed grounds of Synthtopia with the mention of he whose name should not be spoken; FUCK!!!

    3. Even though he has been reported of obtaining 10k for some gigs he isn’t even close to being in the top 30 list. David Guetta is #1. Look how many collaborations he has with the top 5 pop artists in the WORLD. Look at his Facebook Fans vs any other DJ. Although I don’t care for him he is raking it in on license deals, merchandise, tour $, appearances, and the list goes on and on…

  16. what’s wrong with the list? Danny Tenaglia or Roger Sanchez or David Morales or Sander Kleinenberg isn’t on the list…

    1. Danny is now retired so there is that. All 3 dj’s you mentioned are all amazing musicians, but Roger Sanchez is the only one with a strong label (Stealth Records) and commanding a bit more then David Morales who spends a major of his contracts in Ibiza…

  17. where is the source for these?

    I would be amazed if anyone on this list was even worth £1m

    Not because of what they do, but because record sales account for very little and even when youre a big headline DJ, you don’t make millions.

    1. I book djs and I can tell you that it can be quite lucrative. You’d be surprised at what some guys make to play a two hour set. Even guys that aren’t all that popular anymore, but are still riding on past success. For instance house music guru Doc Martin; yeah, that name still carries some weight in some circles, but not really a guy you hear about all that often; he gets $10,000 a set. Pretty ridiculous huh??? I have friends that are amazing musicians that play in very accomplished bands that get paid half that for a 3-4 hour set.

    2. It’s not your fault, but you apparently do not know the business. Look at the roster for William Morris Agency for DJ’s and I can tell you that their B tier artists on an off night (i.e. Monday or a Tuesday Night) command minimum 5k easy. Most are getting much much much more then that. Trust me as I have a lot of experience on that side of the business.

  18. These guys are very fortunate to be making more money than the artists they’re stealing from. No support from me.

    1. Incorrect. These DJ’s have tons of productions that are being played out by other dj’s that are not included on this list.

  19. gosh, i hope synthead updates tommorow with loads of new stuff cause its very unsettling seeing tiestos evil smirk when i come round for some real news-begone tiesto!!!!

  20. Actually most of their music they mix has already been “remixed” or “composed” by “themselves” (COUGH!) so really your booking a really high price mix tape except for Daftpunk Chemical bros maybe Skrillex and Carl Cox who atleast improvise some stuff

    1. Incorrect. The top 30 Dj’s have more productions out there that are getting more airplay and visibility then you apparently know.

  22. Whats wrong with you player hatters? So what if they play other peoples music. Do you go around dissing Companies for using Windows software in their businesses? Hell No! In any case, I’d rather enjoy a good DJ putting together some awesome compilation than to listen to some “producer” make crap music!

  24. what’s wrong with this list? Basically the same thing that is wrong with this world.
    But I don’t get one thing: what do they mean by worth? Is it what they get paid to do a gig?
    Anyway, the big question is, what are they doing that is so special that they deserve to earn 3000 times more money than other people. Are they providing anything to society (i.e. to us) that makes them worth that much. To honest I think they should not be getting more than 500 bucks a night.
    Fun how this thing can be applied to any other job and role in society. Be it managers, politicians, football players, you name it. Are they really doing something so special? I guess some of you people here are doing things a lot more special than all those millions-earning people out there.

    1. What they are providing is enormous amounts of revenue, ENTERTAINMENT, and jobs created when they play a venue or a coliseum. Why do you pay $10 for a movie ticket to see an actor getting paid 10 Million + a film?

    2. FINALLY!!! I’m so glad I’m not the only one who sees this. As an ex-producer/remixer, who’s made decent money in this industry, I cannot agree with this comment more. If you want to pay actors, sports figures, musicians and others in the public light thousands and thousands of dollars, that’s fine. But when I see policemen, firefighters, teachers,rescue personnel and others who contribute to society or put their own lives on the line every day putting groceries on credit cards, something is drastically wrong with this system.

  27. What is wrong? It is probably totally incorrect. What is the source? Many of these guys have probably blown their money and are broke or deep in debt.

  28. lol at Tiesto´s smile on that picture. It´s like he´s telling you: “Yes, I made all those millions by playing shitty music and after all of these years I still don´t know what a fucking state variable filter is”.

  29. I can safely tell you that these numbers aren’t even close to right. A could years ago Tiesto was booked 3 sold out dates for 200k a show. Morillo can play a hot club like LIV in Miami or Vegas and commands 40K+ on a weekend and double that easy for a major Holiday. Factor in all the liscneing deals now with commercial pop artists, tv, film, commericals and those numbers are on the low end!
    Example: We can safely say Kaskade will earn 2+million on his 2012 Tour alone! Get the numbers right…..

  33. There are several problems with the list:

    a. There are no females!
    b. The underground DJs are the ones who really play the best unpopular music.
    c. Too many on DJs called themselves producers and CAN NOT PRODUCE!
    d. They are conning the masses with laptops!!! SMH!!!!
    e. They play for people who can not really dance!!!!

    1. That is because none of the females come close to a Top 30 earnings scale.

      I love underground music too, but that has nothing to do with what this article is inaccurately trying to point out.

      Most of all the top 10 dj’s were producers or musicians before they were Dj’s…

      I laughed at your last point because it’s so true! ha

  34. Where the hell is James Zabiela on this list? He’s the closes thing to a “dj” I’ve ever heard, and he actually does cool shit with the same stuff Tiesto and co. just hit “play” on.

  35. What’s wrong with this list? First of all, it’s from the site “Celebrity Net Worth” which doesn’t state ANY facts or especially sources. Which makes me think everything is just their guess.

    For instance, there’s no way Darude is worth $8M.

  41. All you people fu?$ing hate! Talk all you want, these djs are worth more than you u punk bit€hes COMBINED.. They work hard to get their $$.. I wana see any of you that talk stay up late playing music at a party club or festival. You wish you had the skills needed to mix on thier level. Acting like going from one song to the next without losing the vibe is simple. It takes time to build up the skill to their level.. Tiesto is worth that much because he helps so many djs start their career, has a clothing line, and is one of the hardest working djs out there. To make this kind of music takes major time and skill. I want to see those main stream producers that make those simple ass repeating beats for rappers like lil wayne or jay z or any lame from young money try and make a hard dance beat.. Like really put in time and effort into it. Most of you talking here i bet dont even know what a dance song consists of… To make one is way harder than to make a rap beat. The words make the song in rap. In dance the music does all the words the lyrics just add to it. David guetta makes the beats for alot of mainstream artists. If it wasnt for him their careers would of probably died by now… If dance producers went head to head with rap producers.. Rap would lose. No lyrics just beats. They would lose. Talk all you want which im sure you will. But they are worth alot more then you and i. Getting paid for a skill that you do not have. So shut up and enjoy. Obviously they ar doing something right.. If these djs were to go mainstream mainstream they would be worth a hell of alot more. And i swear listening to this music makes you think different. Rap music now a days makes dumb niggas. Look at our teens in highschool now a days… Point proven. Now look at the teen who listen to only dance music.. Smarter than only rap listeners.. Hate all you want. You will never amount to anything. You wish you had the talent they have. Suck it up and go work your 9 to 5 dont talk mess cuz ese people went after their dream and made it and got paid! They didnt settle for less like all the people commenting. Until you have millions in the bank then your opinion might be worth something to them. They are living a life you can only dream of. Traveling around the world in style for playing music. Mixing songs or making songs. With a different modeling looking girl or 2 or 3 a night. They things they see you cant even imagine. So really think about what you post here. Cuz these djs are worth every penny. And no matter what a single one of you says they will keep making money. So stick to working your lil job and hating on the rest of the world who went out and made it just you dont have any talent or skill doesnt mean you can talk about the people who do. They can buy and sell your sorry ass

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