After topping Forbes’ 2017 list of highest-paid DJs, Calvin Harris still reigns supreme as the world’s highest paid DJ.
This week the business magazine unveiled their annual World’s Highest-Paid DJs Of 2018 list, which finds Harris retaining the number one spot for the sixth consecutive year — earning an estimated $48 million. According to Forbes, Harris’ “healthy six-figure checks for his sets in Las Vegas — and well into the seven figures for headlining festival performances from Japan to Croatia,” has contributed to his latest crowning achievement.
Trailing behind the Scottish-DJ’s world dominance, this year’s list also includes The Chainsmokers ($45,500,000), Tiesto ($33,000,000), Steve Aoki ($28,000,000), Marshmello ($23,000,000), Zedd ($22,000,000), Diplo ($20,000,000), and David Guetta ($18,000,000) to name a few.
Forbes noted their annual list is comprised of “electronic acts around the globe” based on pre-tax earnings from June 1, 2017 through June 1, 2018. The DJs earnings are also based on numbers from Nielsen, Pollstar, Bandsintown and Songkick.
Similar to previous years, noticeably absent from the magazine’s top 15 list is the lack of women and diversity. For last year’s list, Forbes Senior Editor Zack O’Malley Greenburg addressed the glaring and “unfortunate” omission.
“The ranks of the top-earning DJs reveal an unfortunate lack of diversity—among the top ten, there are no women, and all hail from the U.S. or northern Europe,” he wrote. “There is, however, a bit of a mix when it comes to age: the oldest, 49-year-old David Guetta (No. 7, $25 million), could easily be the father of Martin Garrix (No. 9, $19.5 million), who just reached legal drinking age.”
Check out this year’s complete listing of Forbes’ World’s Highest-Paid DJs Of 2018 below
1. Calvin Harris ($48,000,000)
2. The Chainsmokers ($45,500,000)
3. Tiesto ($33,000,000)
4. Steve Aoki ($28,000,000)
5. Marshmello ($23,000,000)
6. Zedd ($22,000,000)
7. Diplo ($20,000,000)
8. David Guetta ($18,000,000)
9. Kascade ($13,500,000)
10. Martin Garrix ($13,000,000)
11. Axwell Ingrosso ($12,000,000)
12. Kygo ($11.500,000)
13. DJ Snake ($11,000,000)
14. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike ($10.500,000)
15. Afrojack ($10,000,000)
Should Forbes expand the criteria beyond electronic DJs for their annual DJ list?
