30-year-old Scottish DJ Calvin Harris has earned the title of highest paid DJ in the world.
He scooped the title for the second consecutive year, topping Forbes’ Electronic Cash Kings list with $66 million (£39.8 million) in earnings in the past 12 months, $20 million more than he earned to reach the summit last year.
Putting his success partly down to luck, the modest music mixer told Forbes: ‘The rise of dance music has been astronomical in the last three years. I happened to be in the right place at the right time.’
Calvin – who recently split from British singer Rita Ora – beat off competition from the likes of David Guetta, who was second on the list with $30 million in earnings in the past 12 months.
Tiesto was narrowly behind in third with $28 million after recently ditching his Ibiza residency.
Explaining his decision, he said: ‘I’ve been going there for the last 10 years, it felt there was nothing special. And then I got the offer to play in Las Vegas. They made me a great proposal, not just the money but also what they’re going to do there, the biggest club in the world.’
Avicii tied with Tiesto in joint third place, while the top five was completed by Steve Aoki, son of Benihana founder Rocky Aoki, thanks to his $23 million earnings.
Forbes’ Electronic Cash Kings list of top five highest paid DJs:
1. Calvin Harris ($66 million)
2. David Guetta ($30 million)
3. Tiesto ($28 million)
3. Avicii ($28 million)
5. Steve Aoki ($23 million)