September 1, 2026
A Perfect Sequel? Denon DJ Prime 4 G2 Review
Denon DJ's Prime 4 and Prime 4+ have become mainstays in the mobile and private event DJ space since 2017. But standalone DJ technology always moves...
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
The World’s Highest-Paid EDM DJs of 2018
Calvin Harris at Wet Republic Ultra Pool at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. (Source: Instagram)
Forbes has released its list of the world’s highest-paid EDM DJs of 2018. Not surprisingly, Calvin Harris reigns supreme for the sixth consecutive year with earnings of $48 million.
Coming in at a close second are The Chainsmokers with $45.5 million. New to the list are Kygo and DJ Snake, who enter at No. 12 and 13 respectively. Skrillex, who ranked No. 4 in 2017 with $30 million, did not make the list this year.
Overall, the top 10 hauled in a combined $260 million, falling considerably short of last year’s $298 million. According to Forbes, it is “partly due to the maturation — and, some would say, plateauing — of the live electronic music market.”
Forbes’ rankings are calculated by using each DJ’s “pretax earnings from June 1, 2017 through June 1, 2018, before deducting fees for lawyers, agents and managers. Estimates are based on numbers from Nielsen, Pollstar, Bandsintown and Songkick, as well as interviews with industry experts and many of the stars themselves.”
See the full list below.
1. Calvin Harris – $48 million
2. The Chainsmokers – $45.5 million
3. Tiesto – $33 million
4. Steve Aoki – $28 million
5. Marshmello – $23 million
6. Zedd – $22 million
7. Diplo – $20 million
8. David Guetta – $15 million
9. Kaskade – $13.5 million
10. Martin Garrix – $13 million
11. Axwell & Ingrosso – $12 million
12. Kygo – $11.5 million
13. DJ Snake – $11 million
14. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike – $10.5 million
15. Afrojack – $10 million
