Watch out Deadmau5! Pauly D – or should we say DJ Pauly D – is moving up in the charts and on his way to becoming one of the highest paid DJs in the world.
The Jersey Shore star made $11 million in the last year alone, earning him the number 7 spot on Forbes’ Highest-Paid DJ List.
It was just 4 years ago that the Rhode Island native was DJing in small Providence clubs and only making a couple hundred dollars per gig. Then came MTV’s Jersey Shore. Fast forward a couple years later, and he’s earning on average $40,000 a night.
“Everybody was skeptical at first, because how everybody heard about me is probably from Jersey Shore,” he says. “But now I’m six seasons deep in the show and I’ve been touring all over the country, touring with major pop acts and stuff like that. That legitimizes everything, and they’re starting to say, ‘This kid isn’t just a reality star, he’s an actual DJ.’”
Not everyone agrees. After Pauly D’s “Night Of My Life” soared passed one of Deadmau5’s hits on the Billboard charts, Deadmau5 threw a jab at the single, saying “There’s nothing creative about it.” Pauly D replied with a tweet: “T-shirt $40. Jeans $100. Hair gel $12. Getting hated on by deadmau5: priceless.”
Bottom line: Whether you think he’s a great DJ or not, Pauly D has earned his status as one of the highest paid DJs. After the first season of Jersey Shore, he and a friend launched a clothing line called Dirty Couture, then came along his tanning lotion, and to top it all off, a spinoff series, The Pauly D Project. According to Forbes, he’s also launching a beverage called REMIX Pre-Game Cocktails in partnership with Grey Goose cofounder Tom Bruno and Skinnygirl cofounder David Kanbar. Oh yeah, and he signed with 50 Cent’s record label.
So, DJ Pauly D can fist pump all the way to the bank if he’d like. He’s earned it.