The 28 Richest DJs in the World (2023)

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There are a lot of DJs in the world, ever since electronic music started blowing up, there was a need for artists that were devoted to knowing how to move a crowd, and yes there are a lot of people who need to blow off some steam, dance and enjoy the music directed by people that know what it is to get a show going.

However only a few of them from around the world have managed to really make that bass sound everywhere, from cars, parties, and fans’ headphones on every corner of this earth, eventually making them very successful, to the point we can say there are a few rich DJs in the music industry, but which of these DJs have been skilled enough to turn this once strange hobby into a successful career?

In this article, we will be taking a look at some of the DJs that made a mark on the world and had a red carpet rolled for them as big crowds, loud bass, and spectacular lights welcomed them to the top of the industry.

Calvin Harris

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Calvin Harris is by far the richest DJ in the entire world, he has been able to achieve a net worth of $300 million and is still reaching for higher dreams. The first time Harris stepped into the world of DJs was with the 2007 album “I Created Disco”, which proved to be a very good start for someone who then went on to collaborate with the biggest pop stars of the moment such as Katy Perry, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande and many more.

But collaborations were not the source of his success, he managed to release incredible hit singles such as “This is What You Came For”, “Feels” and “Outside”.

He also cemented his success thanks to his work as a producer and since 2015, he also began his modeling career.

He is very popular but he is undeniably talented, he knows what he’s doing and manages to make music that incorporates many genres with a creative new style that makes grooves impossible to ignore. Even though he is a man of hits and radio-style bangers, he has some progressive electronic music and new “strange to the ear” music, which just goes to show you that he can do whatever he wants, and who can blame him for wanting to make some of the most popular electronic music in the world?

Tiesto

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The dutch magician Tiesto is considered to be one of the best in the industry, if not the best for some. He has a net worth of $170 million, and while it’s just almost half Harris’ amount, it’s still an incredible amount of money for anyone. Getting it is not easy, but Tiesto was able to rise to success with trance music around the late 90s, eventually diving into the house and other subgenres.

He has also worked as a producer, working with artists like Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, and even Calvin Harris.

It wouldn’t be fair to put Tiesto and Calvin Harris against each other, they offer different things on the EDM spectrum, however, if we are talking about actual pioneers of the genre, Tiesto was more influential, which gives him something that no money can buy.

Steve Aoki

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As the number three, Aoki comes in with not only amazing trap, electronic, and producing work but also a record label, making him a true businessman in the electronic music industry.

Thanks to his success as a DJ and creative collaborations such as “ A Light That Never Comes” with Linkin Park, he has been able to get a big audience that helped him win several awards and nominations.

The Japanese-American has also invested in some big properties including SpaceX and Uber, while also using some of his earnings for charities and other types of donations.

David Guetta

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While David Guetta is not the richest DJ, he may even be more popular than some of the previous ones we’ve talked about. The French DJ, music producer, and songwriter have been called the “Grandfather of EDM” and people owe him the fact that he was responsible for making EDM break into the mainstream.

Daft Punk

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Daft Punk has had incredible success, not just in popularity but with a very polished and critically acclaimed library of music that is nothing short of legendary.

The French duo has sold over 9 million records and they easily have some of the best records in the 21st century including “Discovery” as well as their last album “Random Access Memories” which featured great collaborations and the peak of their musical prowess as a duo.

They also produced many artists, with the latest and biggest ones being The Weeknd.

They recently parted ways but fortunately, they will still be creating more music individually, with Thomas Bangalter’s recently announced the solo album and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo’s project “REVISION”.

Both of them have a net worth of $90 million, so if you get them together they could take the second spot on this list!

The Chainsmokers

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That’s right, another duo! People seem to love DJ duos. Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart have $80 million under their belts each, and it makes sense considering how big of a success their songs have been, just take a look at “Closer”, “Roses”, “Paris” and the list goes on and on.

They debuted in 2012, and have since then become Grammy Award winners and the main event of many festivals. If you are a fan, don’t worry they still have a lot in them to keep it going.

Afrojack

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Afrojack is another pioneer of the EDM music scene that got a lot of recognition after releasing songs like “Take Over Control”, and “No Beef”.  

He has a very good relationship with David Guetta and has worked with Skrillex and Steve Aoki. Also if you haven’t seen him live, you should, his visuals game and transitions are just perfect!

Oh, and of course, this is a list of the richest DJs, his net worth is $60 million.

Skrillex

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Sonny Moore, better known as Skrillex, was for a time the most popular electronic music artist in the world. After having spent some time on his career as a singer in a post-hardcore band called From First to Last, he began his journey in the DJ world in 2004, eventually reaching his peak with hit singles such as “Bangarang” and “Scary Monsters” which helped bring dubstep into the mainstream.

Even though he has stepped out of the spotlight a bit, he is still one of the biggest DJs in the world, with a net worth of $70 million.

Paul Oakenfold

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With a net worth of $50 million, the British DJ, Paul Oakenfold began his career as a club promoter in the 80s, and eventually became a regular DJ in Ibiza and London.

He is one of the veterans, having a career in DJing for more than any other that we have talked about on this list and having some of the greatest collaborations, including Michael Jackson and Madonna, so yeah it’s the stuff of dreams.

These sorts of highlights made him the number one DJ twice according to DJ Magazine, and even though he is not as active today, no matter what happens he is one of the pillars of electronic music and the DJ scene.

Armin van Buuren

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The Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren made his career by producing, mixing and even founding his own record label called Armind in 1999.

It’s interesting that even though he found tremendous success after pursuing a DJ career, he used to be a law student, and we actually have to be grateful he decided to go all in with trance music because he was the one who brought the sub-genre to the mainstream.

His net worth is about $55 million, and he is the proud winner of the Buma Cultuur Pop Award, which comes with the highest honor a musician can get in the Netherlands.

Swedish House Mafia

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In the world of DJs, it’s not often that we get groups or bands, since it’s mostly a one-man job, however, this supergroup was able to release two albums and make a combined net worth of $100 million.

Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso are the members of this popular group, and even though they were active between 2008 and 2013, they were able to cause a big impact on the electronic music scene, so much so that they decided to get back together in 2018.

Every member also has a successful solo career, with Axwell having quite a few successful singles and two albums, Steve Angelo has a great career as DJ and in other genres such as rock, and Sebastian Ingrosso started his career as a remixer and producer before being a part of Swedish House Mafia.

Paul van Dyk

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If you like trance, you know Paul van Dyk, he started in the early 90s with his debut album, “45 RPM” and since then, he has gotten incredibly popular, reaching a net worth of $60 million and a reputation as one of the best in the industry.

If you are looking to get a varied but powerful trance set, Paul van Dyk will definitely deliver, and nothing will be able to stop him from making some of the best trance in the world, trust us, he had a big accident in 2016 but came back stronger than ever!

Deadmau5

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Joel Zimmerman is Deadmau5, one of the greatest at the progressive house and skilled at producing and DJing. He began the climb to success in the mid-2000s with “Get Scraped” which was released in 2005 and was a big success.

After that, he did what most successful DJs do, high-notoriety collaborations and more. But one of the things that set him apart was his big mouse helmet, giving him a fun and crazy vibe to suit the music.

Funny enough he was inspired by a literal dead mouse in his computer, so the legacy of that poor mouse still lives on through house music, and a net worth of $50 million!

Diplo

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We will be saying $50 million a lot from her on out as if it was common. Thomas Wesley Pentz, known as Diplo, is one of the leading American DJs, not just due to his skill in music but also for being the founder of Major Lazer, which involves a mix of genres and a lot of big artists.

He also has his own record label called Mad Decent and has gone on tour with Steve Aoki.

Marshmello

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If you just read what we said about Deadmau5, well Marshmello (Christopher Comstock) also has a helmet that fits the name which he wears at every show.

He is also in the $50 million group and absolutely blew up after releasing “Waiting”. This led him to collaborate with Khalid, Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber, and more, with someone who knows his way around big hits.

Kaskade

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Ryan Raddon is an American EDM producer and DJ, and he was crowned America’s 2011’s top DJ.

He was one of the best in the early 2000s and has been around most of the best electronic music festivals, including Coachella, Tomorrowland, and more. Even though some consider that his prime is over, he hasn’t stopped delivering great songs consistently, which cannot be said for every popular DJ.

NERVO

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This duo from Australia managed to be among the best EDM shows in the industry, and they have been around for quite some time. It’s unfortunate that there aren’t more female DJs that have made it so far in the DJ scene, but they certainly are successful enough to be among the richest with a net worth of $54 million.

They are a bit underrated but you would be doing yourself a favor if you take the time to enjoy their take on EDM and their amazing energy, and if you are an artist that doesn’t stop delivering good music, it’s no strange to have a net worth of $50 million.

Zedd

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Zedd, born Anton Zaslavski, comes from Russia and has since moved out to a mansion in Beverly Hills, which makes sense having a net worth of $50 million.

Zedd started very young, stepping into the DJ world in his early twenties, and released his first album in 2012.  It was a shame that he was banned from performing in China for a relatively small thing, but hey that doesn’t keep him from staying on the top.

Judge Jules

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Julius O’Riordan is one of those artists that have been around for a long time and he has also found a way to share his experience on BBC Radio 1, as an excellent radio host.

Thanks to his career as a club DJ and a radio host he has managed to achieve a net worth of $42 million, which he has used to find ways to contribute to charity and help in the fight against cancer, so props to the Judge.

John Digweed

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Some of the DJs on this list have other side gigs, jobs, and passions, for John Digweed is being an actor! Aside from that he stands out in the progressive music genre and has a well-rounded career in producing music. He also has residencies in a decent amount of clubs including the well-known Space Nightclub.

His talents don’t stop there though, he also has his own record label, called Bedrock Records. All of these have gotten him a sweet net worth of $48 million.

Alesso

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With a $40 million net worth, Alesso is a master of remixes, having worked on songs by David Guetta, Lady Gaga, and Justin Bieber. But remixing isn’t his only talent, having a few hits on his belt like “Cool” and “Heroes” (We Could Be).

He is popular and has played at some of the biggest festivals all over the world, but despite being a rich DJ and being famous he is one of those that like to maintain his private life, private, so we don’t know a lot about how he spends his fortune, and maybe that is for the better.

Tom Joyner

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Now here is a prime example of a professional who managed to make a business out of a hobby. Joyner is actually a radio host but he has been in the DJ business since the 70s. He has his own show, is a philanthropist, and has a production company with the name of Reach Media, Inc. so it’s no wonder his net worth is $40 million.

Sasha

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Sasha was an 80s DJ, that strived to get to the top, by the 90s he was able to get people fascinated with his progressive house, and now he is considered to be one of the biggest DJs in the world with an amazing history of festivals and shows that few can rival.

In 2007 he also founded “emFire” a record label that has seen success with several albums. Today he is in his 50s, but he is still going strong touring and showing everyone how it’s done!

Oh right, a net worth of $40 million, just a tiny little detail.

Pete Tong

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Pete Tong is another DJ that has also been in the Radio business for a while, even having his own show called “The Pete Tong’s Show” which is considered to be one of the most popular dance music shows to date.

The British host and DJ has a net worth of $33 million and has been a major influence on dance music for more than two decades.

Martin Garrix

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Martin Garrix is just getting started, but at only 26 years old he is already on a list of the richest DJs in the world with a net worth of $30 million.

He is a Dutch DJ that blew up in 2013 with “Animals” after that fame followed very quickly making him a part of the biggest EDM festivals and giving him a fanbase from all over the world.

He has his own record label, “STMPD RCRDS” and has released more than a few mix albums, however, he is now focusing more on the traveling side of things and of course making the best live shows one can ask for.

He is certainly very popular today, and there is no doubt that he has the potential to get a lot higher on the list in a few years, we’ll have to wait and see where the DJ scene will see him next!

DJ SODA

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SODA is from South Korea, her name is Hwang So-hee and she has broken out of Asia in a way few DJs have, making a global impact with her music since 2013.

Even though her net worth is not as big as the rest on the list a big $17.8 is something to be really proud of, and we thought it deserved a spot!

Honorable Mentions

Paris Hilton

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If you didn’t know, Paris Hilton started her career as a DJ in 2012, and even though she is not a legend as many of the ones on the list, it’s cool how she managed to get herself into the electronic music scene and attract big audiences to her shows.

She has a net worth of $300 million, but the reason she was not on the list is that we all know that probably didn’t come from her being a DJ since she was quite popular before that.

Gianluca Vacchi

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You might have heard of the successful Italian businessman and social media star Gianluca Vacchi, but you probably haven’t heard about DJ Gianluca Vacchi.

He has a net worth of $200 million, but he obviously didn’t get there as a DJ, however, he does have his moments as a performer, and with the incredible amount of followers he has on Instagram, he definitely gets an audience.

Conclusion

Money is not the perfect measure of talent, but in some cases, it can be a measure of success, so there is a good chance that most of the DJs you saw on this list were able to turn their passion into a successful business.

Whether you wanted to know out of curiosity or you needed this information for anything other than procrastinating, remember that everyone has a different story, and it’s fascinating to see how it’s all connected with the story and evolution of a genre such as electronic music and a somewhat controversial scene such as the DJ world.