Top Ten Richest DJs in the World
The best DJs benefit from some of the best things that life has to offer. This includes flying around the world in private jets, being surrounded by beautiful women, drinking the finest spirits, and playing at the nicest nightclubs where they get paid sometimes tens of thousands of dollars for a few hours worth of work. The ultimate goal of their job is to encourage people to have fun and enjoy their time. World class DJs are revered and worshiped wherever they go. For the best, it is definitely one of the best jobs in the world.
10
Moby
Net worth: $29,000,000
Moby gained attention in the early 90’s when he experimented with electronic dance music. His work is generally classified as techno and breakbeat hardcore. His career really took off when he released his fifth album Play. Since its release it has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the top selling electronic music albums of all time. Additionally, Moby has co-written, remixed, and produced a number of songs for The Smashing Pumpkins, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Daft Punk, Britney Spears, Guns N’ Roses, and even Metallica. Moby is characterized by his minimalist and vegan lifestyle. He is also a huge advocate of animal rights making him one of our favorite DJs of all time.
9
Daft Punk
Net worth: ~$30,00,000 each
Originating from Paris, Daft Punk is an electronic artist duo composing Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homen-Christo. Daft Punk started performing in the early 90’s, but didn’t reach significant popularity until the late 90’s due to the house movement in France. Ever since the duo has been unstoppable. Their songs are best described as a combination of house and synthpop. Daft Punk is noted for its elaborate live shows and visual elements and effects that are set to the music. They are also known for wearing disguises, especially their trademark ornate robot costumes while in public or while performing. Their 2000 song “One More Time” is one of their best-known and was a world-wide sensation. Their other singles “Digital Love” and “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” were also hugely successful around the world. Daft Punk was also praised for their work on the Tron: Legacy soundtrack. Daft Punk just released a new album this month. If you haven’t, you better check it out!
8
Pete Tong
Net worth: $36,000,000
Pete Tong is a famous British DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of several programs that includes Essential Mix and Essential Selection which are also available as internet streams around the world. He is widely regarded as the global ambassador for electronic music. Since 2008 he has been key in organizing the International Music Summit held in Ibiza annually. Over the course of his career he has released about three dozen compilation albums.
7
Judge Jules
Net worth: $37,000,000
Judge Jules or Julius O’Riordan as his family knows him is a British DJ and producer. From 1997 until 2012 he has hosted a variety of different radio shows. He made it a staple on his show to prefer live music over recorded albums. Jules is a passionate philanthropist. In 2009 Judge Jules started supporting the UK charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer by becoming the official club DJ. In January 2010 he played at the Royal National Institute for the Deaf promotion event to raise money.
6
Sasha
Net worth: $38,500,000
Some know him better as DJ Sasha, but he has been known from time to time to leave the DJ out of his performing name. Born Alexander Paul Coe, DJ Sasha began his career playing acid house dance music in the late 80’s. His 2004 remix of Felix da Housecat’s “Watching Cars Go By” was enough to win him a Grammy nomination. After achieving success as a DJ, Sasha began working with younger DJ s and producers such as the now famous BT and James Zabiela. Despite the ever-changing trends in electronic dance music, Sasha remains popular and continues to perform at large venues around the world.
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5
Armin Van Buuren
Net worth: $39,000,000
The Dutch sensation that is known as Armin Van Buuren has been voted DJ Magazine’s number one DJ five times. He also hosts the incredibly popular weekly radio show called A State of Trance which experts estimate has up to 20 million listeners in 26 different countries around the world, which would make it one of the most popular radio shows in the world. Armin van Buuren has released 5 video albums, 5 studio albums, 1 compilation album, and 96 different singles. His latest album Intense was just released earlier this month.
4
John Digweed
Net worth: $45,000,000
John Digweed began DJing at a very young age. He first started when he was 15. He would play music at parties for his friends and at other events. His big break came in 1993 when he got a job at the Renaissance Club in Mansfield after Sasha heard his demo tape. John is known for his progressive house sound that became a sensation throughout Europe and later in North America around the turn of the century. During the beginning part of the 21st century John promoted his sound at monthly club nights for members and people interested in the electronic music scene. As of 2013 he has released over 28 different compilation albums.
3
Paul van Dyk
Net worth: $52,000,000
41 year-old Matthias Paul, better known as Paul van Dyk, was one of the first DJ superstars to win a Grammy Award. In 2005 and again in 2006 he was named the world’s number one DJ. He has sold over 4.5 million albums worldwide since becoming active in 1991. Paul grew up in East Berlin in a single parent household. His father left both him and his mom when he was only 4 years-old. While living in Berlin he found work as a broadcast technician and later began training to become a carpenter. His music career began in a semi-famous German nightclub called Tresor. After performing several times he was asked to perform at Juergen Kramer’s Dubmission parties in the Turbine Club. He eloquently named the shows Paul vs. Paul. His first album was released in 1994. Since then there have been 5 more studio albums, 1 TV show soundtrack, 5 movie soundtracks, and 9 video game soundtracks. In additon to winning a Grammy in 2003, he has received over 20 other industry awards.
2
Paul Oakenfold
Net worth: $54,00,000
Paul Oakenfold is considered to be one of the first ground-breaking DJs by many. The 49 year-old started his career in 1980 long before electronic music became mainstream. Just like many famous DJs his career started playing at a local bar or night club. His first venue was the Covent wine bar located in London. Oakenfold’s big break happened in 1992 when he remixed the popular U2 song “Even Better Than the Real Thing.” His Perfecto remix actually achieved a higher chart position than the original song did. Soon after he began producing his own tracks as well while continuing to remix popular songs of the time. Over the course of the last 3 and a half decades Oakenfold has released 3 studio albums and 25 other DJ mixes. Oakenfold was one of the first and he is definitely one of the best.
1
DJ Tiesto
Net worth: $63,500,000
Perhaps it goes without much surprise that DJ Tiesto is the richest DJ in the world. The 44 year-old, born Tijs Michael Verwest in the Netherlands, got his start in the music scene in 1994. He came up with his name as a twist off of his childhood nickname. He started off by playing small shows at the The Spock, a small nightclub in the city of Breda where he grew up. He was able to experiment and fine-tune his style by playing in his own room from 10:00 PM until sometimes 4:00 AM in the morning during the weekends. Ever since his humble beginnings his popularity has began to soar. In 2004 he became the first DJ to ever play live on stage at the Olympic games where he played a 90 minute set. Over the course of his storied career he has released 5 studio albums, in addition to 3 mixed albums. DJ Tiesto isn’t going anywhere and it is likely that his worth and fame will only continue to rise from here.
