From sweaty clubs to the Hollywood Hills, DJs in the main electronic scene are modern-day rock stars. The not-so-humble abodes of household name DJs such as David Guetta, Calvin Harris and more are a testament to just how well selling and playing to the masses can pay. With news of Eric Prydz listing his Hollywood Hills home on the market for a cool $5.9 million, all eyes are renewed on what a big business EDM has become. Armed with not much more than a USB stick, DJs can travel the world playing gigs with ease. The high DJ fees and songwriting royalties created multi-millionaires out of many now household names. DJs now rub elbows with the elite, purchasing properties neighboring A-list celebrities and high-rollers. Earning spots in some of the most exclusive zip codes in the United States and the world-at-large, DJs are certainly living large.
While Las Vegas is the go-to clubbing spot to see some of the most popular EDM DJs spin in the United States, Ibiza emerged in the past couple of decades as the most popular spot in the world to see DJs of the more techno, house, and tech-house varieties. DJs know they made it when they receive either a Las Vegas or Ibiza residency with the high paychecks to prove it. Calvin Harris reportedly earned $260 million – that’s million with an M – for his performance contract with the Hakkasan nightclub group in Las Vegas. Earnings and residences of techno artists aren’t covered in the media in the same vein but that doesn’t mean money isn’t being made. The kingpin of techno, Adam Beyer, bought a residence in Ibiza, so you know he’s sitting on some cool cash.
The big bucks flowing within the techno community have come under scrutiny in the past few years for a genre that is supposed to be “underground.” Business techno, as it’s called, sees DJs amassing millions of followers on social media and high DJ fees. Artists work hard for many years to earn their success, so shouldn’t they enjoy it?
Amelie Lens, often lumped into the business techno group, has been DJing for about 15 years. She started in small clubs and party nights. Lens has paid her dues and gained a large swath of fans in the process. Carl Cox is a legend and no doubt commands a nice booking fee, but he’s still adored by fans for his fresh sets and mixing abilities. While the media doesn’t report on homes within the niche underground dance community, a few globally well-known mainstream DJs are not shy to show off their dreamy abodes. Check out these incredible mansions from some of today’s top dance music artists.
Price Tag: $2.8 million in a short sale with over $5 million in renovations
Given Steve Aoki spends a large amount of time DJing in Las Vegas for his club residences, he decided to purchase a 16,000 square foot mansion-turned-art-gallery. Aoki turned the house into his own personal art gallery, featuring an original Banksy piece, as well as several sculptures from modern artist KAWS and others. The grey and white lines provide a clean backdrop for all of Aoki’s colorful art pieces. Not one to be bashful, Aoki also moved the pool closer to the house and inserted an outline of his face.
Photo credit: Architectural Digest
Price Tag: $15 Million
As the richest DJ in the world, it’s no surprise Calvin Harris has a Beverly Hills compound to match. Harris’ large fortune is in part due to his prolific production and songwriting credits on some of the world’s biggest records over the past couple of decades… though his $260 million payday from his Hakkasan Las Vegas residency certainly lined his pockets as well. Dropping $15 milli