The 20 Richest DJs in the World in 2018
We dearly love our DJs. They bring us a variety of music to brighten the day and keep us in tune with what’s going on in the music world. Some become as popular as the tunes they spin because they infuse their unique personalities into the art of spinning tunes. Some have gained notoriety for the way they deliver on the goods. It’s surprising how much money the top DJs are pulling in. How much does yoour favorite DJ make and is he or she rich from being so good at it? You can find out here, if they made it to the top 20. We’ve put together a list of the top DJs in the world and ranked them by their net worth for 2018.
20. Zedd – $35 million
Zedd is the twentieth richest DJ in the world today. He was born in Russia and was raised in Germany. This is where he began his successful career as a DJ. Zedd’s real name is Anton Zaslovski, but Zedd is easier to pronounce and it rolls off the tongue so well. As of now, he’s just 27 years old and we think that it’s quite a feat that he’s done so well in such a short period of time. Zedd shared his philosophy about success and in an interview he stated, ‘“Being yourself is what will make you survive through anything. If you make music to please someone, it’s the first step in the wrong direction. Always do what you believe in, no matter what people say. Only way to go!’” Zedd is also a German record producer and he’s a very busy young man who has his head on straight and is moving in a very positive direction with his career. He doesn’t depend on just one thing for building his wealth and we expect to see him appear higher on this list in the very near future.
19. Tom Joyner – $ 40 million
Tom Joyner is a well known American radio host. You may have tuned in to his nationally syndicated show “The Tom Joyner Morning Show.” He’s done a lot of work in his field and many of his ventures have helped contribute to his current level of success. He founded BlackAmericaWeb.com, the Tom Joyner Foundation and Reach Media, Inc. His success is also in part from the big name companies that are advertisers including WalMart, The Chrysler Corporation, Southwest Airlines and McDonalds. He has a very healthy philosophy in life. He shared that he keeps it all together by setting a non negotiable schedule for taking five vacations of one week each every year and he won’t budge on that.
18. Sasha – $40 Million
Sasha is tied with Tom Joyner in the $40 million dollar club. He earned the distinction of being voted as World number 1 DJ by DJ Magazine in 2000. He’s a multiple award winner with four International Music Awards and numerous DJ other DJ awards. Sasha is Welsh. He’s also a record producer as well as a Grammy Award nominee. His most memorable quote is:“You only have to love a thing greatly to get it.” We can tell that he definitely loves the business he’s in because Sasha has achieved tremendous success.
17. Judge Jules – $42 Million
Judge Jules is a multi-talented professional who just happens to be a DJ in addition to everything else he does. He’s a British dance music DJ as well as being an entertainment lawyer and a producer. DJ Magazine voted him the Number 1 DJ in the world in 1995. He built his reputation and his fortune through music production, a radio show that received international success and his activities as a DJ.
16. Skrillex – $45 Million
Skrille’s real name is Sonny John Moore. He’s an American producer in the electronic dance genre as well as a singer, songwriter, DJ and he plays multiple musical instruments. There’s no denying his amazing talent. He has a unique style that sets him apart from most other DJs and while he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, he certainly has made a solid name for himself and the wealth has followed. Skrillex is the first to tell the world that he’s made his career out of using unconventional methods for making records and doing other interesting things that draw the attention of his fans. What he’s doing is obviously working because he’s worth an approximate $45 million today.
15. John Digweed – $48 Million
John Digweed is a DJ from England who was vote the World number one DJ by DJ Magazine in 2001. He’s also a famous record producer and an actor on top of that. At the age of 50 years, he has a net worth of a whopping $48 million. His unique DJ style earned his reputation for going off the grid on occasion and playing selections that people hadn’t heard before in the mix and it worked to stimulate reactions in his listening audience. It was this along with his other successful career endeavors that helped him to amass his current fortune.
14. Kaskade – $50 Million
Kaskade’s real name is Ryan Gary Radon. He’s a record producer, remixer and DJ from America. He’s been fortunate in his lifetime to do something that he loves and it’s paid off big for him. He shared that for him, music is a spiritual experience that is uplifting. He believes that music and dancing bring people together and he’s got a point.
13. DeadMau5 – $53 Million
DeadMau5 is the stage name of Joel Thomas Zimmerman. He’s of Canadian nationality and in addition to being a record producer, the Toronto, Ontario resident is a popular music DJ who didn’t start out in life as well loved as he is today. He shared that his lack of popularity when he was a kid in school gave him more time to work on himself to develop his own character because he wasn’t busy trying to “fit in” with everyone else. He just did his own thing and look where it got him today!
12. Armin Van Buuren – $55 Million
Armin Van Buuren is a remixer, record producer and DJ, and a native of Holland. He joins the ranks of top DJs throughout the world who have been voted as Number 1 DJ in the world by DJ Magazine. He made the list for two consecutive years in 2016 and 2017, and has made the list a total of five times through his career. He believes that everyone has their own path to follow on this planet.
11. Paul van Dyk – $60 Million
Paul van Dyk’s real name is Matthias Paul, but his stage name is Paul van Dyk. He’s a Grammy Award winning DJ from Germany. In addition to putting out the hits, he’s also a musician and a record producer. In 2005 and then again in 2006 he was name the Worlds number 1 DJ. In 2005, he earned this distinction from Mixmag and was the first ever DJ to earn this award. His record sales had topped 3 million in 2008 and he earned a good portion of his wealth through the record industry. His goal has been to inspire people to see the world differently if just for a few seconds, through the music.
10. Afrojack – $60 Million
Afrojack is . Dutch DJ, remixer and record producer who is the tenth richest in his profession in the entire world. He’s a regulalr on the top 10 of DJ Mag’s top 100 DJs list. He released “Forget the World,” his debut album in 2014. He believes that people need “realness” in their lives instead of the phoniness and fakes we all encounter.
9. Paul Oakenfold – $65 Million
Paul Oakenfold is a record producer from England as well as a trance DJ. He became DJ Magazine’s Number 1 DJ in thee word in 1998 and then again in 1999. He’s also earned other distinctions as a World Music Awards nominee on two occasions as well as winning a Grammy Award two times. He didn’t see his role as a JD as a “big thing” because he didn’t believe there was any real money in it, but it’s something he enjoyed so he did it.
8. Thomas Bangalter – $70 Million
Thomas Bangalter is from France where he is a singer, a songwriter, a composer, a musician, record producer, DJ and film producer. He’s done a lot in his life time and he’s enjoyed the financial rewards of amassing a fortune of $70 million in the process. He’s in the French house music duo Daft Punk.
Thomas Bangalter, featured on the right above, is a French musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, DJ, composer and film director.
7. Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo – $70 Million
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo is tied with Thomas Bangalter with a net worth of $70 million. He’s the other half of Daf Punk. Like his partner, he is also French, and his career portfolio includes being a musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ and film director. He’s done a little bit of everything in the entertainment industry.
6. Steve Aoki – $75 Million
Steve Aoki’s real name is Steven Hiroyuki. He’s an american DJ, but that isn’t all. He’s also an electro house musician, a record producer and he’s also a music executive. He’s certainly topped the charts when it comes to his net worth. He earned his fortune through many Billboard chart busting studio albums. He’s also heavily involved in raising money to provide humanitarian relief on a global level through the Steve Aoki Charitable Fund. Aoki was a nominee for a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronica Album in 2013
Steven Hiroyuki, otherwise known as Steve Aoki, is an American electro house musician, record producer, DJ, and music executive.
5. David Guetta – $75 Million
David Guetta is running neck and neck with Steve Aoki with a net worth of $75 million. He’s a French songwriter, DJ, remixer and record producer from France. He’s a co-founder of Gum Productions and the company released its first album in 2002, titled “Just a Little More Love.” He’s well known as a DJ internationally.
4. Avicii – $85 Million
Avicii’s real name was Tim Bergling. The Swedish DJ was also a record producer who passed away in April of this year. He left behind an incredible net worth of $85 million. He made good with his 2010 major hit “Seek Bromance.” Avicii saw himself as a decent judge of character and sought to surround himself with good people. His passing has left a gap and millions from around the world will miss him.
3. Swedish House Mafia – $100 Million
Swedish House Mafia is a group of DJs that consisted of a group of three performers including Axwell, Sebastian Ingosso and Steve Angello. They put in a four year run and it was a raging success for the trio. Even though they split up in 2012 to do their own thing as individuals, this DJ group made it to the third riches DJs list in the world for 2018.
2. DJ Tiesto – $150 Million
DJ Tiesto’s real name is Tijs Michiel Verwest. He’s a Dutch record producer and DJ. He started his career playing tunes when he was just a teen. He did this for school parties initially and then graduated to serving as DJ for several different Netherlands clubs. By 1994, he released his first songs and his career was off to a flying start. In fact, he’s done so well that he’s the second riches DJ in the world today with a net worth of $150 million.
1. Calvin Harris – $190 Million
The award for the number one richest DJ in the world today goes to Calvin Harris. Harris is a Scottish singer, songwriter, DJ and producer. Calvin Harris is his stage name. His given name is Adam Richard Wiles. He’s a native of Dumfries, Scotland, but he relocated and now calls his home Los Angeles, California. As a younger man, he worked as a shelf stocker in a supermarket and in a fish processing plant just so he could earn enough money to buy the DJ gear necessary to start his career. We’d say that he made a wise investment because look where he is today!