LOS ANGELES: Scottish musician Calvin Harris ruled Forbes’ annual list of electronic cash kings on Tuesday as he was named the highest-paid DJ for the fifth consecutive year, outpacing Dutch DJ Tiesto and newcomers The Chainsmokers.
Harris, 33, brought in $48.5 million between June 2016 and June 2017, with earnings from residencies in Las Vegas and festival performances as well as from producing pop hits such as his latest summer track, “Feels” with Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams.
Tiesto, who topped the list in 2012, earned $39 million and came in at No. 2, while The Chainsmokers earned $38 million, bolstered by the chart-topping success of pop hits “Closer” with Halsey and “Something Just Like This” with Coldplay.
The list, which also includes veteran French DJ David Guetta and German producer Zedd, highlights a lack of diversity in the DJ field, whose 10 highest earners were male and mostly white, from the United States or Europe.
To compile the list, Forbes takes into account earnings from June 2016 through June 2017. Fees for agents, managers, and lawyers are not subtracted. While there are no women on this year’s list, and all 10 come from the U.S. or Northern Europe, age plays the single diversity factor as David Guetta, 49, takes the No. 7 spot, and 21-year-old Martin Garrix lands at No. 9.
Forbes said it compiles its annual earnings list from data gathered from Nielsen and touring trackers such as Pollstar and Bandsintown, as well as industry insiders and artists.
The full top 10 list is below
1. Calvin Harris ($48.5 million)
2. Tiësto ($39 million)
3. The Chainsmokers ($38 million)
4. Skrillex ($30 million)
5. Steve Aoki ($29.5 million)
6. Diplo ($28.5 million)
7. David Guetta ($25 million)
8. Marshmello ($21 million)
9. Martin Garrix ($19.5 million)
10. Zedd ($19 million)
