Forbes' latest list ranks the world's highest-paid DJs over the past year.
With the increasing popularity of electronic dance music, better known as EDM, DJ paydays have also seen a record high.
The top ten "Electronic Cash Kings," as Forbes calls them, earned anywhere from $7 million to $22 million in the past year alone.
As Forbes points out:
One need only look at the recent activities of the genre’s most prominent practitioners: Last year, Skrillex was one of the main attractions at Coachella; last month, Deadmau5 ended up on the cover of Rolling Stone; last week, Kaskade became the first electronic act to sell out the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The proof is in the hundred-dollar ticket prices, EDM is officially mainstream. And the top earners who hide behind computers with headphones on, all of whom are male, are reaping the benefits.
And unlike rock bands and pop stars who take home just one-third of gross ticket sales, DJ's production costs are often extremely minor as they simply require a USB stick, headphones and a laptop.
Forbes put together the following ranking after looking at recorded music sales, endorsements, merchandise sales, and sourcing Pollstar, RIAA, promoters, managers, lawyers, and some of the artists themselves.
10. Avicii—$7 Million
This 22-year-old Swede spins all over the world with his two essential tools: "a thumb drive and a good set of head phones."
He also picked up a Grammy nomination this year for Best Dance Single and was a featured performer at this year's Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago.
"Major festivals can pay [acts] $1,000–$2 million ... Music has gotten huge thanks to the internet," Lollapalooza co-founder and artists booker, Marc Geiger, told Bloomberg.
9. Afrojack—$9 Million
The former boyfriend of Paris Hilton, this Dutch DJ also moonlights as a music producer.
He was featured on Pitbull's number one hit single "Give Me Everything" and contributed to Beyoncé's single "Run the World (Girls)."
Afrojack also runs Wall Recordings, which has Dutchhouse DJs such as himself signed onto the label.
8. Kaskade—$10 Million
41-year-old Ryan Raddon, better known as Kaskade, performed 125 shows over the past year, according to Forbes.
The Illinois-born DJ rose to prominence alongside Deadmau5 and Wolfgang Gartner during the revival of American progressive in late 2008–early 2009.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider