Calvin Harris was the world’s highest paid DJ in 2013, after he amassed over $45 million through touring and album sales.
Harris was given this honour after he topped Forbes annual list. His earnings were elevated due to his collaboration with Rihanna, which produced the single, “ We Found Love, ” as well as the release of numerous other singles, plus he has performed over 100 live shows through the year, each of which saw him paid $202,000.
Harris told Forbes that his success is purely down to good timing, remarking, “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.”
Earlier this month, Harris became the first artist to ever record nine top 10 singles from one album, after “Thinking About You,” entered the charts. Other efforts have included, “I Need Your Love,” and “Sweet Nothing,” all of which came from his record, 18 Months.
Harris finished above Tiesto, David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, Deadmau5, Avivii, Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, Kaskade, Skrllex, Diplo, Steve Aoki, and DJ Pauly D in the list. The top 12 earners of the last year managed to generate over $265 million.
Tiesto finished second to Harris, but he only accumulated $31 million in comparison to Harris’ $45 million. Along the way to his wealth Harris was also awarded the Ivor Novello Award for “Songwriter of the Year.”
Discussing the acclaim, the 29-year-old Scottish DJ stated, “I like to think I don’t have an ego [that’s] like you need to be number one – the best, the DJ of all time. I want to be the number one songwriter-producer guy of all time.”
Less than a decade ago, Harris went by his birth name of Adam Wiles and was working in a supermarket whilst living in his parent’s house with a college degree, having all but given up on making it as a musician.
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