The 14 Highest Paid DJs in the World: Pauly D … Avicii … Who Makes $46 Million?

<strong>12. DJ Pauly D - $13 million (tie)</strong> Best known for being a housemate on MTV's reality show <em>Jersey Shore</em>, Pauly D released his first single, called "Back to Love", on January 15, 2012, featuring British singer Jay Sean. It reached #22 on the UK Dance Charts.

<strong>12. Diplo - $13 million (tie)</strong> Diplo is a Los Angeles-based DJ, producer, rapper, and songwriter. Prior to becoming a well-known DJ, Diplo worked as a school teacher in Philadelphia. His most reputed track to date was a collaboration with English recording artist Nicola Roberts, on her debut solo album <em>Cinderella's Eyes</em> in 2011.

<strong>11. Steve Aoki - $14 million</strong> Born in Miami but raised in Newport Beach, California, Aoki graduated from <a href="http://wp.heavy.com/social/2013/08/top-best-party-schools-2013-princeton-review/" target="_blank">party school University of California, Santa Barbara</a> with two B.A.'s: one in Feminist Studies, the other in Sociology. He also ran underground concerts while at UCSB and started his label soon after, called Dim Mak Records after his childhood hero, Bruce Lee, and the martial arts move that purportedly killed him.

<strong>9. Skrillex - $16 million (tie)</strong> Born Sonny John Moore, Moore released his EP in 2009 entitled <em>Gypsyhook</em>. He then released <em>My Name is Skrillex</em> as a free download o his MySpace page, which led to commercial success. He has won six Grammies and was also named MTV's Electronic Dance Music Artist of the Year in 2011.

<strong>9. Kaskade - $16 million (tie)</strong> Born Ryan Raddon in Evanston, Illinois, he attended Brigham Young University and honed his DJ skills in his dorm room. At the age of 19 he moved to Japan to serve a two-year mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Upon returning, he married his wife and moved to San Francisco where he got involved in the emerging "deep-house" music movement and created his alter ego, "Kaskade."

<strong>8. Armin van Buuren - $17 million</strong> Armin van Buuren is a Dutch trance music producer and DJ. In 1995 he had his first major success with a track called <em>Blue Fear</em>, which made it onto the UK Chart. He then started landing gigs throughout Europe. In 1999, he jumped into the English and American markets.

<strong>7. Afrojack - $18 million</strong> Born Nick van de Wall, Afrojack is is a Dutch music producer and DJ. His biggest hit to date is <em>Take Over Control</em>, which charted in 10 different countries.

<strong>6. Avicii - $20 million</strong> Born Tim Bergling in Stockholm, Sweden, Avicii began remixing and producing in his bedroom at the age of 17. After putting his work on blogs, he started to gain a following and was discovered by DJ and producer Tiësto. Most recently, his song <em>Wake Me Up</em> overtook Robin Thicke's <em>Blurred Lines</em> in the UK.

<strong>5. Deadmau5 - $21 million</strong> Joel Thomas Zimmerman, better known as the stylized deadmau5 ("dead mouse"), is a Canadian music producer and performer but now resides in Los Angeles. Known iconically for wearing a "mau5head" while DJ'ing, the idea was given to him from Jay Gordon, of the metal band Orgy.

<strong>4. Swedish House Mafia - $25 million</strong> Consistening of Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso, the Stockhom-based group formed in 2008. Angello and Ingrosso were childhood friends, while Axwell met them as adults. As of March 2013, the group has broken up.

<strong>3. David Guetta - $30 million</strong> Starting as a DJ in French night clubs in the 1980s and 90s, he started Gum Productions in 2002 and released his first album, <em>Just a Little More to Love</em>. Since then he has worked with such names as Snoop Dogg, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and many more.

<strong>2. Tiësto - $32 million</strong> Pronounced "tee-es-toh", he was born Tijs Michiel Verwest in North Brabant, Netherlands. He has been active in the night club scene since 1994 and has been known as Da Joker, DJ Limited, Passenger, Roze, Stray Dog, before finally settling on his childhood nickname, "Tiësto", in his latest productions.

<strong>1. Calvin Harris - $46 million</strong> Born Adam Richard Wiles in Scotland in 1984, he was recording demos in his bedroom by 1999. His first glimpse of mainstream success came when he was 21 and when some of his tracks were picked up by clubs under his then-name "Stouffer." In 2006, he signed with Sony BMG and his career exploded.